Decision details

Having complied with paragraph 15 of the Council’s Access to Information Procedure Rules.

(i)  The council accepts and authorises expenditure in relation to the next phase of  Household Support Fund  funding for 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023 inclusive. The actual amount Southampton City Council will receive is currently unconfirmed (as of 31/08/2022) In the region of circa £2 Million is anticipated but not guaranteed. At the time of writing, this is a best estimate only and to be confirmed.

(ii)  To Delegate authority to the Executive Director for Communities Culture and Homes to finalise the details of the payment scheme following consultation with the Executive Director -Finance, Commercialisation and S151 Officer and the Cabinet Member for Communities and Customer Engagement and to administer funding in accordance with that scheme.

1.  This report is submitted for consideration as a General Exception under paragraph 15 of the Access to Information Procedure Rules in Part 4 of the City Council’s Constitution, notice having been given to the Chair of the relevant Scrutiny Panel and the Public.

2.  This is being presented under the General Exception due to the limited timescales of Central Government releasing the draft guidance for Local Authorities for Household Support Fund October 2022 – March 2023 and the requirement to implement delivery of a Southampton Household Support Fund scheme in early October.

3.  This funding is being provided to County Councils and Unitary Authorities and forms part of the Government’s wider package of support for those most in need, to help with the cost of living.  This funding can be used to support some of our most vulnerable households.

4.  Local Authorities have not yet received the final guidance and confirmation of actual amount of funding allocated. This is expected to be communicated by Central Government in the coming weeks.

5.  We will need to mobilise quickly once the funding has been confirmed, therefore delaying the recommendations as outlined in this report, will delay the start of the scheme, and potentially impact on those who may need payments in October 2022.

The council may consider not accepting this funding. This is not recommended as the fund is designed to assist local authorities to help residents experiencing financial hardship linked to the global inflationary challenges and the significantly rising cost of living and to be complementary to the Government’s wider package of Cost of Living support.