How ‘essential’ Household Support Fund is helping in the Grimsby area

A cost of living fund recently extended for another six months is providing essential support to thousands of North East Lincolnshire residents.

The Household Support Fund (HSF) was created in autumn 2021. In the three years since, £9.34m in total has been distributed to help those struggling with the cost of living in the area.

Just one Grimsby community centre has helped more than 2,200 successful applications for one-off payments or white goods through the HSF. The fund was due to end this month, but the government has extended it to March. Councillors want clarity on what will happen afterwards.

North East Lincolnshire MPs Melanie Onn and Martin Vickers have both welcomed the extension. Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes’ Labour MP Ms Onn has said she has written to the council’s chief executive asking for the next HSF round to prioritise pensioners.

The HSF works via grants to local authorities over six months or a year. The councils can decide how the money is used each round of funding, so long as it is targeted support for low income residents.

The majority, or about half, of what North East Lincolnshire Council has spent each round has been on £15-a-week vouchers for free school meals children during school holidays. Almost 8,000 children got a voucher this summer.

‘We’re here to help’

The council has also run an HSF grant scheme over the past three years. Donna Miller, team lead for welfare, benefits and advice at Centre4 Community – Connect NEL, explained when HSF was created in 2021, the council went out to organisations in North East Lincolnshire to see if they may want to help deliver it.

Centre4 signed up to help people across the borough apply for an HSF grant. This is an up to £250 one-off payment, paid through a letter with a barcode to the local Post Office.

Alternatively, people can apply for a white good, such as a fridge, freezer, or washer.

The one-off payment can be used to provide energy, other essentials, or pay bills. It is not stipulated exactly how it is spent.

There are technically income limits to eligibility. These are total household yearly income of £20,000 or less for an individual, or £25,000 for a couple. Each threshold rises £3,000 per child.

Donna said: “Above the threshold, and if there’s a specific reason why they need that support, then they can still apply. Then it’s down to the council whether it can be approved or declined.” She gave the example of someone on £22,000 a year whose boiler had broken and they could not afford to replace it.

Centre4 get applicants to fill out an income and expenditure form to help the application’s speed. Statements showing they do not have savings over £500 are also required.

Donna said: “Since the start of the HSF fund, we have done a minimum of 2,280 successful applications which have been approved, but have had many more enquiries. If we have been unable to complete the application we have outsourced the individual to other organisations who did have the capacity to support.

“We can have anywhere between 10 and 15 application enquiries per weekday.” Other help Centre4 provides includes food vouchers for its low cost community shop – it has a small pot of funding to help those unable to get to food banks. The Nunsthorpe-based community centre has a debt advisor, and offers a benefits check service, to help ensure people are signed up to all support eligible, including council tax support.

“We’re here to help and all they need to do is ring [Grimsby] 403403. ConnectNEL are a signposting service, so if they need something we can support with, we’ll find out and get back to them.”

‘Residents struggling making ends meet’

The council’s communities scrutiny panel discussed the HSF after its extension was announced. “It’s highly likely officers will use a similar approach in terms of what’s gone on previously,” said a council officer about how future HSF cash will be used.

They also stated there were a number of government elements that “could change the landscape by the end of March”. This included the Children’s Wellbeing Bill, with free breakfast clubs in primary schools.

Cllr Nicola Aisthorpe asked if HSF was not extended again if there would be a gap in food provision for free school meals children next summer. “It depends on the provision that comes from the government,” said a council officer, later suggesting another fund may help.

“It seems likely to me,” replied Cllr Aisthorpe, that a gap in food support may occur. “I’m hearing as a councillor more and more residents struggling making ends meet, even though they’ve got jobs.” Supporting organisations were also being “overwhelmed with enquiries”.

The panel recommended the council send another letter to government requesting clarity beyond the six-month extension.

MP wants pensioners prioritised in next six months

Grimsby Live contacted North East Lincolnshire’s two MPs on the HSF’s extension, and whether they would like to see further measures. Brigg and Immingham’s Conservative MP Martin Vickers said: “I fully support an extension of the Household Support Fund. Having read the report that went to North East Lincolnshire’s scrutiny panel it’s quite clear that it provides essential support for some of the hardest hit families in our area.

“The council has made representations to the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, and I have written to her supporting the council request for an extension.”

Melanie Onn welcomed it as “undoubtedly the right thing to do” and “a massive help to the households most in need across North East Lincolnshire”. She has asked for the council to prioritise pensioners in the next HSF round from October.

“This fund will also prove extremely useful in supporting pensioners who need extra help this winter but are not eligible to claim Pension Credit”, Ms Onn said.

“The DWP estimates that, in 2021/22, between 720,000 and 880,000 entitled people did not take up Pension Credit nationally, despite being entitled to it. This equates to a take up rate of just 63 per cent. This is one of the most important mechanisms for support and would enable recipients to receive the Winter Fuel Allowance. I encourage anyone who is entitled to this support to claim it.

“I have written to the chief executive of the council, Rob Walsh, to ask if the local authority can try to prioritise pensioners’ applications for the Housing Support Fund over the winter months. This will help to get financial support to those that need it most.”