Agenda item

7.1

It was moved by Councillor Dawn Dale, and seconded by Councillor Ruth Milsom, that this Council:-

(a)      notes that the Government has decided to end funding for the Household Support Fund from the end of March 2024, and further notes with concern that the Government did not use the Autumn Statement or the Local Government Finance Settlement to confirm an extension of the Fund;

(b)      notes that Sheffield received £10.4m from the Household Support Fund in 2023/24 which is used to provide financial support to low-income and vulnerable households who are struggling to afford the essentials;

(c)      notes that the Fund is used to provide Free School Meal vouchers to 32,000 households during the school holidays;

(d)      notes that the support that the Council has provided through the Household Support Fund has helped tens of thousands of households in Sheffield who have struggled to afford energy, food, and other essentials;

(e)      notes that the Household Support Fund is a key part of the Council’s Cost of Living response which has brought together partners from the public sector, business, and the voluntary, community and faith sector to help those in need;

(f)       notes that the average number of Household Support Fund applications received per day in November 2023 is 112, which is a 148% increase on the same month last year, and that in 2023 there was an overall 47% increase in applications compared to 2022;

(g)      notes that the Chair of the Education, Children and Families Policy Committee has written to the Government to call for the Household Support Fund to be extended;

(h)      believes that ending the Household Support Fund will reduce vital support for people in our city who need it most;

(i)       believes that a cliff-edge in welfare provision in March 2024 must be avoided; and

(j)       calls on the Government to urgently provide clarity and reassurance to households in Sheffield, and to extend the Household Support Fund beyond March 2024.

7.2

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor Tim Huggan, and seconded by Councillor Kurtis Crossland, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by the addition of a new paragraph (k) as follows:-

(k)      calls on all parties in Westminster to remove the two-child cap on Child Benefit which contributes to child poverty among many, larger families.

7.3

It was then moved by Councillor Maroof Raouf, and seconded by Councillor Angela Argenzio, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by:-

1.       the addition of new paragraphs (i) and (j) as follows, and the re-lettering of the original paragraph (j) as a new paragraph (k):-

(i)       believes that poverty has been made significantly worse by the removal of the £20 per week uplift to Universal Credit and the introduction of the two-child cap on Child Benefit;

(j)       believes that, in addition to the local flexibility offered by the Household Support Fund, an uplift to national benefits is needed to address systemic poverty;

2.       the insertion, in the new paragraph (k) [original paragraph (j)], after the words “in Sheffield,”, of the words “to remove the two-child cap on Child Benefit, to provide a Universal Credit uplift of £40 per week,”. 

7.4

After contributions from six other Members, and following a right of reply from Councillor Dawn Dale, the amendment moved by Councillor Tim Huggan was put to the vote and was carried.

7.4.1

(NOTE: The result of the vote was FOR - 46 Members; AGAINST - 0 Members; ABSTENTIONS – 22 Members.)

7.5

The amendment moved by Councillor Maroof Raouf was then put to the vote and was also carried.

7.5.1

(NOTE: The result of the vote was FOR - 68 Members; AGAINST - 0 Members; ABSTENTIONS – 0 Members.  Although Labour Group and Liberal Democrat Group Members voted for, they abstained from voting on Part 2 of the amendment.)

7.6

The original Motion, as amended, was then put as a Substantive Motion in the following form and carried:-

RESOLVED: That this Council:-

(a)      notes that the Government has decided to end funding for the Household Support Fund from the end of March 2024, and further notes with concern that the Government did not use the Autumn Statement or the Local Government Finance Settlement to confirm an extension of the Fund;

(b)      notes that Sheffield received £10.4m from the Household Support Fund in 2023/24 which is used to provide financial support to low-income and vulnerable households who are struggling to afford the essentials;

(c)      notes that the Fund is used to provide Free School Meal vouchers to 32,000 households during the school holidays;

(d)      notes that the support that the Council has provided through the Household Support Fund has helped tens of thousands of households in Sheffield who have struggled to afford energy, food, and other essentials;

(e)      notes that the Household Support Fund is a key part of the Council’s Cost of Living response which has brought together partners from the public sector, business, and the voluntary, community and faith sector to help those in need;

(f)       notes that the average number of Household Support Fund applications received per day in November 2023 is 112, which is a 148% increase on the same month last year, and that in 2023 there was an overall 47% increase in applications compared to 2022;

(g)      notes that the Chair of the Education, Children and Families Policy Committee has written to the Government to call for the Household Support Fund to be extended;

(h)      believes that ending the Household Support Fund will reduce vital support for people in our city who need it most;

(i)       believes that poverty has been made significantly worse by the removal of the £20 per week uplift to Universal Credit and the introduction of the two-child cap on Child Benefit;

(j)       believes that, in addition to the local flexibility offered by the Household Support Fund, an uplift to national benefits is needed to address systemic poverty;

(k)      believes that a cliff-edge in welfare provision in March 2024 must be avoided;

(l)       calls on the Government to urgently provide clarity and reassurance to households in Sheffield, to remove the two-child cap on Child Benefit, to provide a Universal Credit uplift of £40 per week, and to extend the Household Support Fund beyond March 2024; and

(m)     calls on all parties in Westminster to remove the two-child cap on Child Benefit which contributes to child poverty among many, larger families.

7.6.1

(NOTE: The result of the vote on the Substantive Motion was FOR - 70 Members; AGAINST - 0 Members; ABSTENTIONS – 0 Members.  Although Labour Group Members voted for, they abstained from voting on paragraphs (l) and (m) of the Substantive Motion.)