Bracknell Forest Council

Record of Decision

 

Work Programme Reference

 

 

 

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1.

TITLE:

Household Support Grant Distribution and Procurement

 

 

2.

SERVICE AREA:

Chief Executive's Office

 

 

3.

PURPOSE OF DECISION

 

 

The distribution of the Household Support Fund

 

 

4

IS KEY DECISION

Yes

 

 

5.

DECISION MADE BY:

Executive Member for Children, Young People & Learning

 

 

6.

DECISION:

 

 

RECOMMENDED that the Executive Member for Children, Young People and Learning

 

      i.        agrees the proposed routes to spend the Household Support Fund by the end of March 2022.

 

     ii.        approves the Strategic Procurement Plan for purchasing supermarket vouchers.

 

 

7.

REASON FOR DECISION

 

 

      i.        It is required for the local authority to create a local eligibility framework to disburse the funding that has been received from the Department of Work and Pensions. The distribution as set out in the Strategic Procurement Plan provides the basis for this framework.

 

     ii.        Supermarket vouchers have been recommended as the primary use for the fund as this has previously proved successful with supporting children eligible for free school meals with the cost of food during the school holidays. The vouchers are to be distributed to low-income households within Bracknell Forest to help alleviate the increased financial pressures related to the pandemic and the winter months as well as offsetting the increase in household bills.

 

    iii.        The funding from the DWP must be distributed by the end of March 2022. In order to maximise the fund and directly support residents, a procurement exercise is required to appoint a supplier of supermarket vouchers.

 

 

8.

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED

 

 

The financial hardship officers group considered other options for spending the household support funding, but it was concluded that these would not be as effective as those recommended in terms of efficiently disbursing funds to those most in need. A number of other options have been considered but these are more complex and labour intensive. The proposals follow agreed practice in distributing previous tranches of this funding.

 

 

9.

PRINCIPAL GROUPS CONSULTED:

None

 

10.

DOCUMENT CONSIDERED:

Covering Report - Strategic Procurement Plan - Household Support Fund
Strategic Procurement Plan - Household Support Fund
Appendix A - Funding Estimates
Appendix B EqIA for Procurement of Supermarket Vouchers
Amendment to Exec Recommendations

 

11.

DECLARED CONFLICTS OF INTEREST:

None

 

 

Date Decision Made

Date decision will be implemented

16 November 2021

24 November 2021

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2.

SERVICE AREA:

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3.

PURPOSE OF DECISION

 

 

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4

IS KEY DECISION

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5.

DECISION MADE BY:

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6.

DECISION:

 

 

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7.

REASON FOR DECISION

 

 

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8.

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED

 

 

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9.

PRINCIPAL GROUPS CONSULTED:

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10.

DOCUMENT CONSIDERED:

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11.

DECLARED CONFLICTS OF INTEREST:

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Date Decision Made

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