Issue - decisions

That the Leader of the Council:-

1. Notes that the Leader of the Council previously gave approval on the 14 October 2021 to accept the HSF grant of £5.2m from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and to spend £442.5k of the grant for the purpose of providing free school meal vouchers to those eligible for free school meals.

2. Approves the further spending plan and the £900k which was detailed as ‘Not yet allocated’ as detailed in this report.

3. Notes the short timescales the Council has been given in order to have this scheme live hence the need for a fast-track process.

4. Notes that the spending plans are not complete and further planning needs to be undertaken to look at what other pro-active approaches can be developed to target those most in need with this Fund over the coming months.

5.      Delegates authority to the Executive Director of People Services, in consultation with the Director of Finance and Commercial Services and the Director of Legal and Governance, which are not already covered by existing delegations in the Leaders Scheme of Delegation:

·       to take any such decisions necessary to meet the aims, objectives of the delivery plan submitted to the DWP and this report.

Note: As the DWP has announced this funding with short notice for Local Authorities to make decisions surrounding it and requested Local Authorities submit spending plans by the 29^th of October 2021. Funding must be spent by the 31^st March 2021 with the delivery plan to start imminently. The Household Support Fund will provide support to vulnerable households in most need of support this winter, the report is submitted under the Special Urgency Procedure and is removed from the Call-in Process.