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Written question asked by Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour) on Tuesday, 16 April 2024, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 18 April 2024. It was answered by Jo Churchill (Conservative) on Wednesday, 24 April 2024 on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.

Household Support Fund: Hillingdon

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department issues to people placed in Slough by Hillingdon Borough Council who cannot access Household Support Funding because Hillingdon's scheme stipulates that such funding is available to residents of that Borough and Slough Borough Council's scheme stipulates that people placed in Slough temporarily by another borough must apply to their originating borough.

Answer

The Household Support Fund is an intentionally flexible scheme, designed to enable Local Authorities to deliver a tailored response to local need as they have the ties and knowledge to best determine how this support should be provided.

Local Authorities have the flexibility to design and deliver their Household Support Fund scheme through a variety of routes, including, for example, offering vouchers to households, directly providing food, or issuing grants to third parties. This means that it is for each local council to decide how, where and when they distribute their funding within the parameters of the guidance and grant determination set out for them by the Department for Work and Pensions.

Local Authorities are encouraged through our guidance to work together with neighbouring Authorities to help prevent double provision and/or no provision, especially where the allocation of provision may take place in one area, but the award recipient has a residential address in another.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
22103
Session
2023-24
Grouped for answer
Yes
Transferred
Yes
Subjects
Hillingdon Household Support Fund
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk