I am requesting the following information under the Freedom of Information Act:

1. Please provide a copy of the council’s Household Support Fund policy for the funding distributed to councils in October 2021. The policy should outline how the council was going to disburse the funding and by what criteria
Information not held in that format. Funding was distributed in two main ways:

Firstly, to families with children eligible for free school meals to cover food costs over the holidays – a fixed amount per child / week of holiday. No application process required.

Secondly, via a range of voluntary sector partners co-ordinated by Citizens’ Advice Wokingham who triaged applications and referred to the most appropriate support available, including awarding HSF as appropriate. This element of funding was focused primarily on support with energy costs. In this context we did not promote HSF as a separate fund but rather the range of support available through the ‘One Front Door’ – this was for both referrals (including from the Council) and individual applications. See below:

One Front Door
One Front Door is here to help you find a way forward if you need it. The service was set-up at the start of the pandemic to provide a single point of contact for advice and continues to be available to provide support for you on a range of different topics, including financial hardship.

The One Front door is led by Citizens Advice Wokingham, supported by Wokingham Borough Council and delivered in partnership with many incredible local voluntary sector organisations.

No matter what problem you’re facing, the team are still here to help you access the support available, some of which includes:
• Help with rising energy costs: Advice on changing suppliers, help paying utility bills, access to fuel vouchers, energy efficiency packs, and more
• Support with accessing food and other essentials: Foodbank referrals, household item grants, urgent food and toiletries, urgent prescription collection, and more
• Support with loneliness and mental health: Referrals to befriending charities, peer support groups, and more
• Other assistance: Practical help and advice on welfare checks, benefits and debt, employment, housing, and more
Please do not be afraid to reach out for help if you need it, you can be assured of a friendly and confidential service. Contact the One Front Door on the details below, and they will take you through the next steps.

2. What was the value of the parts of the Household Support Fund provided to the council in October 2021 (or thereabouts) that the council made available to individual applicants (not referrals from third party organisations)?
The Council did not disburse any of the funding to individual applicants. A total of £247,750 was distributed to families with children eligible for free school meals in the form of food vouchers.

3. Of the figure in question 2, how much did the council eventually provide to applicants?
Not applicable

4. If the council fully spent the figure in question 2, on what date(s) was this part(s) of the fund closed to new applicants?
Not applicable

5. How many applicants received funding under the parts of the Household Support Fund referred to in question 2?
Not applicable

6. How many applications for funding under the parts of the Household Support Fund referred to in question 2 were rejected? Please provide any data the council holds on reasons for rejection
Not applicable

7. What was the value of the parts of the Household Support Fund provided to the council in October 2021 (or thereabouts) that the council made available to referrals from council services or third party organisations, e.g. charities?
A total of £233,376 was distributed through voluntary sector partners.

8. How many referrals received funding under the parts of the Household Support Fund referred to in question 7?
A total of 1,727 awards were made to referrals or applicants to the voluntary sector partners.

9. How many referrals for funding under the parts of the Household Support Fund referred to in question 7 were rejected?
Information not held. Referrals were made for support which may or may not have included from the HSF. The One Front Door approach was to provide those in need with the most appropriate support based on their particular circumstances. This could of course include more than one form of support if that best met needs. In this sense there was no specific application form for HSF and anyone referred or applying to the One Front Door received a service to assist them.

10. Please provide a copy of the council’s Household Support Fund policy for the funding that is to be distributed to councils for April-September 2022. The policy should outline how the council will disburse the funding and by what criteria
This is yet to be fully finalised but is likely to follow a similar model of a co-ordinated approach with our voluntary sector partners. A significant change at a national level is the stipulation that for the April – September funding at least one-third must be spent on pensioners and how this impacts our delivery model needs careful thought and planning.

Councils’ Household Support Fund policies include various elements – they are rarely disbursed in one block to one group of recipients by one set of criteria. Some involve automatic funding based on eligibility details the council already holds (e.g. Free School Meals status) with no requirement for application or referral. Some parts are disbursed directly to third party organisations, such as food banks. Some are based on applications by individuals, while others are based on referrals by council services or third party organisations. Questions 2-6 relate to those parts that were disbursed based on applications from individuals, while questions 7-9 relate to those parts that were disbursed on the basis of referrals. Some councils may not have disbursed any money on the basis of applications or referrals, in which case questions 2-9 do not apply.