Agenda and minutes

Please note that this meeting may be filmed or recorded by the Council for live or subsequent broadcast via the Council’s internet site or by anyone attending the meeting using any communication method. Although we ask members of the public recording, filming or reporting on the meeting not to include the public seating areas, members of the public attending the meeting should be aware that we cannot guarantee that they will not be filmed or recorded by others attending the meeting. Members of the public participating in the meeting (e.g. making deputations, asking questions, making oral protests) should be aware that they are likely to be filmed, recorded or reported on. By entering the meeting room and using the public seating area, you are consenting to being filmed and to the possible use of those images and sound recordings.

The Chair of the meeting has the discretion to terminate or suspend filming or recording, if in his or her opinion continuation of the filming, recording or reporting would disrupt or prejudice the proceedings, infringe the rights of any individual or may lead to the breach of a legal obligation by the Council.

The Chair referred to the notice of filming at meetings and this information was noted.

To receive any apologies for absence.

There were none.

There were no declarations of interest. 

The Chair will consider the admission of any late items of Urgent Business. (Late items of Urgent Business will be considered under the agenda item where they appear).

There was no urgent business.

There were none.

The Government, through the Department of Works and Pensions (DWP) launched the Household Support Fund in October 2021, and had extended it multiple times, covering the continuous period up to 31 March 2025. In March 2025, the DWP provided guidance that the scheme would be extended for a further twelve months for the period 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026.

Local authorities were responsible for administering the Fund in their area. Haringey Council has been allocated £4,241,687.45 for the 12-month period, which was 12% less than the funding available in the previous year.

The objective of the Fund was to provide support to households in the most need. The Fund was intended to cover a wide range of low-income households in need including families with children of all ages, pensioners, unpaid carers, care leavers and disabled people, with an emphasis on supporting households with energy, food, and water bills.

In May 2025, a Haringey policy for allocating the fund for 2025-26 was approved. This included an allocation of £294k for Pension-age households in receipt of Housing Benefit (HB) and/or Council Tax Support (CTS) for those who did not receive the Winter Fuel Payment. Subsequent to this, the Government announced that the Winter Fuel Payment would be reinstated for all pensioners, providing the Council with an opportunity to reallocate this funding to other things.

The Household Support Fund Scheme Policy: August 2025, attached at Appendix 1 set out the Council’s arrangement for administering the Fund, which complied with the conditions stipulated by DWP. This decision would approve the allocations policy for this phase of funding.

The Cabinet Member RESOLVED

1. To note the Household Support Fund allocation from the government of £4,241,687.45 for the period 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026.

2. To approve the allocation of this funding as set out in Appendix 1 of the report.

3. To delegate authority to the Delivery Director Tackling Inequality, following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Resident Services and Tackling Inequality, to amend the policy to maximise and control the distribution of the fund and to give effect to changes in legislation, statutory or non-statutory guidance, or directives or instructions of a similar character issued by Government.

4. To delegate authority to the Delivery Director Tackling Inequality, following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Resident Services and Tackling Inequality, to provide Free Schools Meal (FSM) vouchers to households with children who are eligible for free school meals during the Easter 2026 holidays from a future allocation of Household Support Fund, provided such an allocation is made and such an allocation is permissible under any such scheme. The vouchers are distributed by schools.

5. To agree that the policy be subject to the availability of government funding and would terminate on 31 March 2026; and (in the event that government increases the funding available and/ or extends the eligible period beyond 31 March 2026), agrees that authority is delegated to the Delivery Director Tackling Inequality to extend this policy as appropriate.

Reasons for decision

The Guidance  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.