Other information
The Household Support Fund is a fixed amount of money made available to local authorities by the UK Government to be used to support households in the most need with food, energy and water bills this winter. As funds are limited, the council will prioritise those households facing the greatest need.
The scheme is due to run until March 2025 but once all funds have been allocated, the fund will be closed. In order to maximise the support we can provide to all our residents, we will always redirect residents to other forms of support where we feel this is more appropriate to support their needs.
In line with the principles of good administration, all applications will be treated fairly and consistently under the terms we have set out here. Applications will be processed in a timely manner.
We will monitor this scheme on an ongoing basis. We will regularly review the scheme to ensure that we are making the best use of the money we have available. To support our monitoring and evaluation, we may get in touch with applicants after decisions on awards have been made in order to ask for feedback about the scheme and may share your data with other colleagues in the council to support our monitoring and evaluation of the scheme.
How will we use and share your information
The Council will only collect data relevant to your Household Support Fund application. Your data will be held on our digital platform and will be protected using up-to-date technical and organisational security measures.
Your data will be used to:
- Determine your eligibility for the Household Support Fund
- Contact you about decisions or updates related to an application
- Issue the Household Support Fund payment to your nominated Bank or Building Society account where appropriate
Your personal data will not be kept longer than necessary (in line with our existing retention schedule).
Information collected during the application process will be used to assess an applicants' claim. Information will be cross-matched with other data held by the Council and third party agencies e.g. Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) for verification purposes.
The Council may also share data with both internal and external organisations for the purposes of validating any applications you may make or have made for other Council services such as Housing Applications, School Placements, and Homeless Applications.
In addition, we may also share your data within the organisation to support our efforts to redirect you to other support that may be available (for example our Discretionary Housing Payment Scheme, Council Tax Reduction Scheme.
We may also share your data within the organisation or with other Government agencies in order to prevent and/or detect potentially fraudulent activity. Subject to a legal gateway, your information may also be shared for the prevention of fraud and criminal activity with (list not exhaustive):
- The police
- Immigration Service, Absconder Services and/or UK Border Agency
- Health and social care organisations
- Other Local Authorities
Help with other costs that are not included within the fund
The Department for Work and Pensions are responsible for providing a number of payments and advances for those who meet the eligibility criteria. These include:
- Funeral Payments
- Sure Start Maternity Grant
- Winter Fuel and Cold Weather Payments
- Short-term Benefit Advances