Four rounds of Household Support Fund funding - Find a freedom of information request

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I wish to request information about the Household Support Fund 

1. Please provide the total amount of HSF funding allocated by the Government to you (either directly, or indirectly through an upper-tier authority) over all four rounds of HSF funding.

2. Please provide the total amount allocated to district authorities within your County or Upper Tier Local Authority area to distribute on your behalf, including administration expenditure, as a total for all four rounds of HSF funding. Please provide as a total for all four rounds of HSF funding.

3. Please provide the amount allocated to third parties who are not district authorities to administer on your behalf. This may include but is not limited to organisations such as VCSE partners, Citizen's Advice, or private companies and includes administration expenditure. Please provide as a total for all four rounds of HSF funding.

4. Please provide the total amount spent, or allocated, on vouchers for all four rounds of HSF funding. Please include vouchers purchased and not yet distributed. Please also include total budget allocation for HSF4 (April 2023 to March 2024) for supermarket vouchers if vouchers have not yet been purchased. The total provided should be the whole amount spent, and/or allocated to be spent, on vouchers to award as part of the HSF programme, either through an application or direct award, either by you or by a third party on your behalf.

5. Please provide the total number of vouchers purchased (whether distributed yet or not)

6. Please provide the total amount of budget allocated for the purchase of vouchers for HSF4 (April 2023 to March 2024) if vouchers have not yet been purchased.

7. Please provide the total amount of direct cash awards made to recipients of HSF funding over all four rounds of HSF funding.  Within this total, please include the total budget allocation for HSF4 (April 2023 to March 2024) for cash awards if cash awards have not yet been distributed. The total provided should be the whole amount spent, or allocated to be spent, on cash payments made directly to recipients as part of the HSF programme, either through application or direct award, by you, or by a third party on your behalf.

8.  Please provide the total number (quantum) of cash awards made to date, over all rounds of HSF to date,

including all cash awards made by you, or by a third party on your behalf.

9. Please provide the total amount (£) of budget allocated for the award of direct cash payments for HSF4 (April 2023 to March 2024) if payments have not yet been made. Please include the whole amount allocated whether or not this allocation is to be awarded by you, or a third party on your behalf.

10. Please provide the total amount (£) of credit allocated to Council Tax accounts to recipients of HSF funding for all four rounds of funding available to date.  Please include the total budget allocation for HSF4 (April 2023 to March 2024) for Council Tax awards if awards have not yet been allocated to Council Tax accounts. The total provided should be the whole amount spent, or allocated to be spent, on Council Tax awards made direct to recipients as part of the HSF programme, either through application or direct award, either by you, or by a third party on your behalf.

11. Please provide the total number (quantum) of awards made, including 2023/24 allocations if not yet applied to Council Tax accounts. Please provide the total for all applicable financial years, for example if you have made 100 awards for the financial year 2022/23, and then 100 more for the year 2023/24, this will be 200 awards. Please include within this total, the total number of awards you expect to make for the 2023/24 financial year if these awards have not yet been made.

12. Please provide the amount spent at each supermarket in vouchers as part of HSF expenditure for all four rounds of HSF funding. Please include vouchers purchased and not yet distributed. Please also include total budget allocation for HSF4 (April 2023 to March 2024) for your intended supermarket(s) if vouchers have not yet been purchased.

List of supermarkets

Aldi

Asda

Lidl

Marks and Spencer

Morrison's

Sainsbury's

Tesco

Waitrose

Others (please state which)

13. Please provide the total amount spent, or allocated, to households in receipt of Free School Meals. Please include amounts allocated but not yet distributed. Please also include total budget allocation for HSF4 (April 2023 to March 2024) for FSM households if allocation has not yet been purchased. The total provided should be the whole amount spent, and/or allocated to be spent, on awards as part of the HSF programme, either through an application or direct award, either by you or by a third party on your behalf. If you are an upper-tier authority, please only include FSM allocation you have allocated, not that allocated by district authorities in your area.

14. Please list all data sets you have used to proactively identify potential recipients of HSF support over all four rounds of funding. To assist, I have provided a list of common local authority data - please select all that apply. If you have used any other data, please list.

Council Tax

Council Tax Support

Housing Benefit

Pension Credits

Universal Credit

Other DWP data

Free School Meals

Adult Social Care

Children's Social Care

Waste and recycling data

Data held by education authorities

Previous application data

Data provided by the NHS either through PCNs, ICBs, or local surgeries

Credit data such as, but not limited to, Experian (please state which)

Council, or social housing, housing data including rent arrears data

Data held by charities or VCSE partners

Electoral data

Data held by utilities companies, including but not limited to water, gas, electric. Please state which, for example British Gas.

Others - please state

All amounts should be presented in Pounds Sterling (£), to the nearest whole pound, and should include amounts for all four rounds of HSF funding to date. If HSF4 (2023/4 allocations) have been allocated, but not yet distributed or spent, please include this in the total provided.

I can confirm that the information requested is held by Lincolnshire County Council. I have detailed below the information that is being released to you.

Michelle Andrews. Assistant Director ICS. Michelle.andrews@lincolnshire.gov.uk

Patrick Heppenstall. Finance Manager. Patrick.heppenstall@lincolnshire.gov.uk

1. £27,325,425. HSF 1-4.

2. £13,520,967. ( HSF total allocations to 7 districts)

3. £493,726.71. (not including HSF 4 as this is not confirmed at this stage)

4. £19,220,986.67 ( including estimate for HSF 4- FSM but not including any vouchers distributed from districts for HSF 4 - unknown at this stage)

5. 146902 ( including estimate for HSF 4)

6. £4,648,950 - estimate cost of vouchers allocated to pupils eligible for FSM

7. £2,605,421.6 - ( not known at this stage for HSF 4)

8. 17277 ( not known at this stage for HSF 4)

9. Not known at this stage for HSF 4

10. 0

11. 0

12. Not confirmed yet for HSF 4

13. £13,635,312 ( estimate for HSF 4 included )

14.