I am writing under the Freedom of Information Act to kindly request information relating to your allocation of the fifth and sixth tranche of the Household Support Fund (HSF).
1. Please provide us with a copy of the management information return you are required to provide to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for both tranche five and six of the Household Support Fund .
This information can be found at the following links:
Information that is redacted is exempt from disclosure under Section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (Personal Data).
The Council cannot disclose personal information if releasing it would contravene any of the provisions in the UK General Data Protection Regulation. In this instance release of this information would contravene the first data protection principle and therefore the information is withheld.
2. Please provide a breakdown of how tranche five and six was spent:
(a) Targeted Grants (by targeted grants we mean any direct grants/proactive support given to households that did not need to be applied)
Devon County Council does not hold this information.
(b) Free School Meal Holiday Vouchers
Please see the links at question 1 for the management information return we provided to the DWP for both tranche five and six of the Household Support Fund.
(c) Direct applications to the scheme (this means the amount that was open to application, but not through your local welfare assistance scheme)
Please see the links at question 1 for the management information return we provided to the DWP for both tranche five and six of the Household Support Fund.
(d) Local Welfare Assistance Scheme
Devon County Council does not hold that information.
(e) Voluntary and Community Sector Organisations
HSF5 £350,754.70 and HSF6 £453,624.39.
(f) Advice Services
Nil.
(g) Other (please clarify)
Please see the links at question 1 for the management information return we provided to the DWP for both tranche five and six of the Household Support Fund.
3.
(a) If you accepted applications to this fund how many did you receive?
Devon County Council does not hold that information.
(b) How many applications were successful?
Please see the links at question 1 for the management information return we provided to the DWP for both tranche five and six of the Household Support Fund.
4. Excluding funding given to local welfare schemes or third-party organisations;
(a) Do you use HSF to provide furniture and appliances (such as cookers, fridges, washing machines etc.)?
(b) If yes, how much do you spend on furniture and appliance provision in each tranche?
Devon County Council does not hold this information.
5. For tranches five and six, how much did you spend on:
(a) Vouchers
(b) Cash awards
(c) Third party organisations
(d) In kind support
(e) Other
If you provide in kind support, what percentage would you estimate is spent on furniture and white goods?
Of the funds given to third party organisations, how much was given to organisations who provide furniture, white goods and furnishings?
Please see the links at question 1 for the management information return we provided to the DWP for both tranche five and six of the Household Support Fund.
6. How much do you plan to spend on free school meal vouchers in the holidays in 2025/26? If HSF is not renewed/replaced, will you continue with the vouchers in future years? And if so, how will you be funding it?
7. What additional benefits could your local authority experience if crisis funding was permanent and allocated in tranches of numerous years? Would it aid planning, delivery and efficiency?
8. If the HSF was to be replaced with a long-term funding pot, what form would you want it to take and how can central government ensure it has the greatest impact on those in poverty?
For questions 6-8, Devon County Council does not hold this information as it has not been decided yet.