FOI003630 FOI Communities

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I would like to request the following information regarding the Household Support Fund (HSF) for the period 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026.
I am requesting aggregate, anonymised information only.
1. Funding and households supported
Please provide:
a) The total amount of HSF funding allocated to the Council for the 2025–26 funding period;
b) The total amount of HSF funding spent by the Council during the period; and
c) The total number of households supported through the HSF during the period.
2. HSF expenditure
Please provide the total amount of HSF expenditure during the period on:
a) food or supermarket vouchers;
b) energy/fuel support;
c) other essential household costs; and
d) housing-related costs.
If the Council records expenditure using different categories, please provide the equivalent figures using the categories in its existing records.
3. Holiday food/voucher support
Please confirm whether the Council used HSF funding to provide food or supermarket vouchers, or equivalent direct financial support, to families with children eligible for free school meals during the 2025 summer school holidays.
If so, please provide:
a) the number of households or children supported; and
b) the total amount spent.
If no such support was provided, please confirm this.
I would prefer the information electronically, ideally in CSV or Excel format.
Where a figure is fewer than five and disclosure could create a risk of identifying individuals, please provide it as <5.