Household Support Fund
The Household Support Fund was created by the UK government in autumn 2021.
The original fund (HSF1) had a value of £500m and covered the period October 2021 to March 2022. The fund was for the whole of Great Britain and was divided and shared among all English upper tier councils (including all 32 London boroughs) and the devolved governments for Scotland and Wales.
Councils with bigger populations and higher levels of deprivation received larger allocations.
Council allocations were ring-fenced and could only be used to provide additional support for vulnerable low-income households with the cost of fuel, utilities, food and other essentials
The Household Support Fund was extended in 2022 and councils further received allocations of the same value for the periods April 2022 to September 2022 (HSF2), and October 2022 to March 2023 (HSF3)
How the Household Support Fund has been used in previous years
We received an allocation of £2.73m for each of the three rounds of the Household Support Fund. We helped vulnerable low-income households to pay for higher energy bills and holiday free school meals were provided for all eligible children attending Southwark schools
In 2022, we merged our allocation from the Household Support Fund with other government grants and topped those up with council funding to create a Southwark Cost of Living Fund.
Allocation of the Household Support Fund
A new Household Support Fund for the whole of 2023 to 2024 (HSF4) was announced by the government earlier this year.
Our allocation from the fund in 2023 to 2024 is £5.469m, the same as last year but as a single allocation for the whole year.
The council has wide discretion over the design and delivery of its scheme so that it can take account of local needs and priorities, so long as it stays within the parameters of the guidance set out by the government (the Department for Work and Pensions)
Just as it did in 2022 to 2023, we are matching the government grant from the Household Support Fund to create a Cost of Living Fund 2023 to 2024.
Page last updated: 15 May 2023
