How Rochdale council is spending £4.6m grant to support most borough’s most vulnerable households

Rochdale Council has approved the £4.6m package of support aimed at helping the most vulnerable people in the borough at a meeting of the council’s cabinet committee on Tuesday 28 March.

The cash has been allocated via the government’s Household Support Fund (HSF) for 2023/24, and is targeted at those who would otherwise struggle to buy food, pay essential utility bills or meet other essential living or housing costs.

A council report notes the fallout from the pandemic coupled with the cost of living crisis means ‘demand will increase from our population, with thousands more in fuel poverty, in debt or under financial difficulties’.

“The number of people claiming out of work benefits has more than doubled and four times more people are accessing emergency food support,” it adds.

“It is important that the council puts in place a comprehensive support package and should in particular support low income families and low income older households, but to include programmes that can reach out and support other people who are struggling.”

The council says it is impossible ‘to capture a full picture of the impact of the cost of living crisis across the borough’ – hence the four different programmes of support through the HSF funding.

The four programmes are as follows:

Targeted support for low income families through provision of evouchers through school holidays food vouchers – £2.73m

More than 13,000 children in Rochdale are either eligible for free school meals or identified by children’s services as being in need. This includes young people who have been in care.

Due to the current economic climate, officers expect these two groups will grow and provision should be made for supporting up to 14,000 children.

They also agreed that provision of £15 be set aside per child for each of the 13 holiday weeks that fall within the 2023/24 financial year.

The council says evidence shows vouchers are an effective means of helping low income households in a targeted way. The council has an existing contract through Crown Commercial Services for the provision of the vouchers.

Targeted support for older people on energy costs – £800,000

The council operated a targeted scheme focussing on pensioner claimants on council tax support, paid for by the previous government funding.

It wrote to these households explaining they were being provided with this funding to help with energy costs. It has already made payments to around 95% of them, direct to their banks.

The council strongly believes this support should continue and has agreed that around 6,666 households should each receive two payments of £60 over the 2023/23 financial year.

Local Household Fund – £595,000

The council has a well established local household fund which allows people to access up to £100 in superstore vouchers, £49 in fuel vouchers and/or white goods (fridge freezer, oven, washing machine) via ‘agreed verifying partners’.

It says allocating the cash via these partners presents the valuable opportunity to reach out to additional target groups and areas, as well as meeting national guidance.

Chiefs agreed that to reach out to disabled residents, the council will introduce further ‘verifying partners’ who work with disabled residents, such as assisted living, MIND and sheltered schemes.

The authority will also provide this additional support to children and adults who have major adaptations – such as vertical lifts, stair lifts, showers – which force up increased energy bills.

Bosses say it is clear the ‘already high’ demand for this fund will increase and that more that 8,000 households will benefit from the investment.

Warm homes energy support and homelessness prevention schemes – £550,000

The council says it needs to increase its targeted help in order to keep the borough’s most vulnerable residents warm and safe.

From October last year, the authority supported more than 2,600 people through a £500,000 investment in its Warm Homes scheme, funded by Greater Manchester Integrated Care.

The scheme will now continue, and people will be offered the following help:

• Immediate support to ensure that they can stay safely in their home through advice.
• emergency heating, and help with fuel bills.
• Necessary improvement works in their home.
• A conversation and relevant signposting to improve their health e.g. whether they have a GP, whether they are having NHS Health Checks etc.
• A conversation and relevant signposting to help address wider determinants of health e.g. finances, or social isolation

The council has also allocated £50,000 to support the Homelessness Prevention and Tenancy Sustainability Project.

The funding will be used to reduce/clear arrears and therefore prevent residents from becoming homeless, working with landlord and tenant mediation.

The council must be ready to deal with enquiries from 1 April and the money must be spent by the end of March next year.

Nick Statham, Local Democracy Reporting Service