1. Please state how much money, if any, has been distributed by your local authority from the Household Support Fund for vulnerable households since October 2021 up to and including June 2022.
Wokingham Borough Council (WBC) utilised its full allocation of HSF for the period November 2021 – March 2022: £525,573.35. Of this amount £481,126 was disbursed to vulnerable households with the remaining £44,447 covering administration costs – predominantly those incurred by the voluntary sector partners who led on the distribution of the funds.

2. Also provide the most recent available total (including the date of that total) of the amount of cash still available for disbursement in the local authority’s Household Support Fund.
At the time of responding (20.05.2022) WBC has yet to disburse the additional funding announced by Government for the period April – September 2022. The full allocation of £525,573.35 therefore remains to be disbursed to vulnerable households.

3. Please also state the number of local households, if any, who have benefited.
We do not a definitive number of households who received support, rather, and as required by the government, we have recorded the number of awards made. Households could receive more than one award of support if they faced sustained levels of need over the winter period.

4. Also please provide information on the number of individual requests for assistance through the Fund that the council has received and the number of individual grants made.
WBC did not have a separate application process for HSF support and so we do not have a total for the number of requests specifically for assistance from HSF. The total number of grant awards made was 12,648.

Funding was distributed in two main ways:
Firstly, to families with children eligible for free school meals (FSMs) to cover food costs over the holidays – a fixed amount per child / week of holiday. No application process required.

Secondly, via a range of voluntary sector partners co-ordinated by Citizens’ Advice Wokingham who triaged applications and referred to the most appropriate support available, including awarding HSF as appropriate. This element of funding was focused primarily on support with energy costs. In this context we did not promote HSF as a separate fund but rather the range of support available through the ‘One Front Door’ – this was for both referrals (including from the Council) and individual applications. See below:
One Front Door
One Front Door is here to help you find a way forward if you need it. The service was set-up at the start of the pandemic to provide a single point of contact for advice and continues to be available to provide support for you on a range of different topics, including financial hardship.

The One Front door is led by Citizens Advice Wokingham, supported by Wokingham Borough Council and delivered in partnership with many incredible local voluntary sector organisations.

No matter what problem you’re facing, the team are still here to help you access the support available, some of which includes:

• Help with rising energy costs: Advice on changing suppliers, help paying utility bills, access to fuel vouchers, energy efficiency packs, and more
• Support with accessing food and other essentials: Foodbank referrals, household item grants, urgent food and toiletries, urgent prescription collection, and more
• Support with loneliness and mental health: Referrals to befriending charities, peer support groups, and more
• Other assistance: Practical help and advice on welfare checks, benefits and debt, employment, housing, and more

Please do not be afraid to reach out for help if you need it, you can be assured of a friendly and confidential service. Contact the One Front Door on the details below, and they will take you through the next steps.