Agenda and decisions

Minutes of the meeting held on 24^th July 2023.

The report of the Lead Member for Inclusive Economy, Anti-Poverty and Equalities.

Salford City Council - Record of Decision

I Paul Dennett, City Mayor, in exercise of the powers contained within the City Council Constitution do hereby approve:

The  £3.203m Cost of Living support is allocated as follows:

• £612,500 previously agreed to extend and enhance provision of School Holiday Meal Vouchers for the summer 2023 school holiday period;

• £750, 000 to Salford Assist to extend the Household Support Fund Scheme, this amount to specifically include up to £32,000 to support residents of the Duchy Estate with financial resilience and debt management; 

• and to agree an internal audit review of Salford Assist will be undertaken, to include supporting the work that is already underway to  map hardship funds across the City which will inform future investment decisions for the service and other related function;

• £66,000 to cover conversion capital costs at the Duchy Estate, with specific provision within the Salford Assist allocation to support Duchy Estate residents;

• £406,521 to Welfare Right and Debt Advice Service for delivery of a Benefit Take Up Campaign for People of Pensionable Age, with a review and evaluation report to Cabinet Briefing at the 18 month point;

• £332,000 investment into Salford Leaving Care Service;

• £23,100 to support care leavers living in semi-independent living with the increasing cost of utilities;

• £450, 000 investment into Salford Credit Union for a range of specified activities;

• £164, 932 investment into Salford Community Leisure for a range of specified activities;

• £75,000 investment in 2023/24 to create a time-limited ‘tackling poverty’ fund to support the council’s tackling poverty and promoting equality priorities; and

• the balance as investment into the Rough Sleepers Accommodation Programme (via Derive RP), reducing the existing  capital programme allocation.

The Reasons are:

The national cost-of-living crisis has impacted on people and on local authorities across the country with many households struggling financially and being pulled into poverty. This increased pressure is predicted to continue for some time.

Salford City Council has a long-standing commitment to supporting our residents, including with financial assistance and advice, and through our partnership work to support residents with the cost of living crisis. 

Building on this commitment, the City Mayor and Cabinet have agreed to use a recent one-off £3.203m refund from the GM Waste Levy to provide additional targeted support to residents impacted by the ongoing crisis.  Investment is proposed in a number of support measures:

• £612,500 to increase school holiday food vouchers to £15 per child per week for six weeks (meaning eligible households would receive £90 per child).  This increased offer would benchmark Salford with other local authorities across Greater Manchester.  This allocation was agreed separately by the City Mayor to ensure delivery for the summer school holidays.

• Salford Assist is the Councils Discretionary Support Scheme which is used to support residents in emergency crisis situations.  If residents require help with food and fuel, applications are diverted to the Household Support Fund, with assessments also managed within the Salford Assist Service. The Household support fund allocated to Salford Assist is used to  ...  view the full decision text for item 4.