These are the details of previous of the Household Support fund schemes, including the statistics Merton reported to the Department for Work and Pensions at the end of each scheme. These schemes have now closed and are no longer available. Please see our Household Support fund page for details of any current schemes and Merton’s Cost of Living Support page for details of wider support available to residents of the borough.
Household Support Fund scheme 1
1 Oct 21 to 30 March 2022
Funds received = £1,186,607
Focus of the fund – none identified by the Government. Targeted to low income households and those presenting as in need.
How the fund was distributed
- £545,380 - 4958 awards of £110 to all people in receipt of Council Tax Support in Merton. Payment was made directly to resident’s bank accounts if the bank account details held. All eligible residents were identified and either paid directly or asked to submit their bank details. Eligible residents did not need to apply for this payment.
- £36,531 – to purchase replacement essential household items for residents whose appliances had broken down beyond economical repair and support those presenting as in financial need.
- £607,230 - A total of 26,915 vouchers were issued to families in receipt of free school meals towards the cost of food during school holidays. This has been paid by vouchers of directly to eligible families:
| Holiday period | Number of pupils | Value of voucher | Amount Paid
|
|---|---|---|---|
| October 2021 half term | 6,668 | £15 | £100,020 |
| Christmas 2021 | 6,669 | £30 | £200,070 |
| February 2022 half term | 6,680 | £15 | £100,200 |
| Easter 2022 | 6,898 | £30 | £206,940 |
| Total | £607,230 |
Statistics
| Household composition | a) Households with Children | b) Households without Children | c) Total (a+b) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spend | £899,642 | £280,269 | £1,179,911 |
| Number of households supported | 12093 | 5194 | 17287 |
| Value of awards by category | a) Food | b) Energy and Water | c) Essentials linked to Energy and Water | d) Wider Essentials | e) Housing Costs | f) Admin costs | e) Total (a+b+c+d+e) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spend (£s) | £865,506 | £279,533 | £30,664 | £4,208 | 0 | £6,696 | £1,186,607 |
| Number of support items | 12,051 | 5,103 | 97 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 17287 |
Household Support Fund scheme 2
1 April 22 to 30 September 2022
Funds received = £1,186,483
Focus of the fund – the Government required a third of the funding to go to residents of pension age.
How the fund was distributed
- £370,625 was paid to 3431 residents of pension age in receipt of Council Tax Support on 1 April 2022. Payment of £125 each paid by Post Office Payout vouchers. Eligible residents did not need to apply for this payment.
- £74,563.98– to support residents who do not have access to Government cost of living payments but are experiencing financial hardship
- £53,000 to care leavers, foster carers and special guardians. Paid directly to bank accounts.
- £10,570 used to purchase replacement cookers, fridge freezers and washing machines. 59 applications had orders made for them.
- £675,820 A total of 14,136 vouchers were issued to families in receipt of free school meals towards the cost of food during school holidays. This has been paid by vouchers of directly to eligible families:
| Holiday period | Pupils | Value of voucher | Amount Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2022 half term | 6,988 | £15 | £104,820 |
| Summer holiday 2022 | 7,143 | £80 | £571,000 |
| Total | £675,820 |
Statistics
| Household composition | a) Households with Children | b) Households without Pension age | c) Other households | c) Total (a+b+c) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spend | £ 660,780 | £ 428,110 | £65,511 | £1,154,401 |
| Number of households supported | 6956 | 3388 | 577 | 10921 |
| Value of awards by category | a) Food | b) Energy and Water | c) Essentials linked to Energy and Water | d) Wider Essentials | e) Housing Costs | f) admin costs | e) Total (a+b+c+d+e+f) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spend (£s) | £22,338 | £677,513 | £31,432 | £423,118 | 0 | £32,082 | £1,186,483 |
| Number of support items | 370 | 7,178 | 82 | 3,372 | 0 | 0 | 11,002 |
Household Support Fund scheme 3
1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023
Funds received: £1,186,463
Focus of the fund: general support for low-income households who did not receive the help given by the previous cost of living payments, helping with additional energy costs due to disability.
How the fund was distributed
- £454,000 allocated to all households who were in receipt of Council Tax Support (CTS) on 30 September 2022. 7,566 households received £60 in cash payable by voucher. Eligible residents did not need to apply for this.
- £85,000 has been allocated to application based self-referrals by residents to support those who are not eligible for support under other Cost of Living payments made by the Government or Merton and for disabled residents experiencing higher costs due to their disability. This is being delivered by Wimbledon Guild, a local partner in the borough.
- £630,105 A total of 27,915 vouchers were issued to families in receipt of free school meals towards the cost of food during school holidays. This has been paid by vouchers of directly to eligible families:
| Holiday period | Pupils | Value of voucher | Amount Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 2022 half term | 6,696 | £15 | £100,440 |
| Christmas 2022 | 6,932 | £30 | £207,960 |
| February 2023 half term | 7,127 | £15 | £106,905 |
| Easter 2023 (pay by 31 March last day of term) | 7,160 | £30 | £214,800 |
| Total | £630,105 |
Statistics
Awaiting final figures. Will be updated when calculated.
Household Support Fund scheme 4
1 April 2023 to 31st March 2024
Funds received = £2,372,215
Focus of the fund – none identified by the Government. Targeted to low income households and those presenting as in need.
How the fund was distributed
- £5440 - support for 32 residents who did not receive the earlier support from the Household Support Fund or the Government Cost of living fund (because they only receive Housing Benefit and no other benefit or tax credit). Each household received £170 each paid by Post Office Payout vouchers. Eligible residents did not need to apply for this payment.
- £48,603.20 - provide fuel vouchers to those in fuel hardship. This was delivered in Partnership with Thinking Works.
- £56,000 support for care leavers, foster carers and special guardians. Paid directly to bank accounts. . Eligible residents did not need to apply for this payment.
- £97,010.58 - support for 66 households to prevent homelessness. Residents were able to apply for this support and eligibility was decided using the Discretionary Housing Support Fund scheme. This was made available after the DWP Discretionary Housing Payment funding had been exhausted
- £168,150.85 - to provide for application based referrals from residents for help with financial hardship. This was delivered in partnership with Wimbledon Guild.
- £519,360 - support for 8656 residents of pension age in receipt of Council Tax Support on 30th September 2023. Each household received £60 each paid by Post Office Payout vouchers. Eligible residents did not need to apply for this payment.
- £1,406,165.48 - 7282 vouchers issued to families in receipt of free school meals towards the cost of food during school holidays. This has been paid by vouchers directly to eligible families.
Statistics
| Household composition | a) Households with Children | b) Households with Pension age | c) Households with disabled person | d) Other households | c) Total (a+b+c+d) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spend | £1,708,124 | £ 179,694 | £80,229 | £332,683 | £2,300,730 | |
| Number of households supported | 10,520 | 2,742 | 618 | 3,500 | 17,380 |
| Value of awards by category | a) Food (excluding Free School Meals support) | b) FSM during holidays | c) Energy and Water | d) Essentials linked to Energy and Water | e) Wider Essentials | f) Housing Costs | g) admin costs | h) Total (a+b+c+d+e+f+g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spend (£s) | £328,373 | £1,406,165 | £313,525 | £143,719 | £11,937 | £97,011 | £72,485 | £2,373,215 |
| Number of support items | 4,839 | 7,282 | 5,147 | 308 | 102 | 66 | 0 | 17,744 |