Decision details

In May 2022, the Chancellor announced that there will be a third round of the Household Support Fund to cover the period from October 2022 to March 2023, meaning that a further £500 million (£421m for England) would be released to councils, to support those most in need with the cost of food, energy and water bills, phone, broadband and clothing and in exceptional cases, housing costs.
Due to lack of notice given by government and the impending October holidays, the Council has used a proportion of the new estimated £4m grant, to assist 22,000 Free School Meal/Pupil Premium children during this period, by awarding a £15 voucher in respect of each child. The spend accounts for £331k of the allocation for this week. This commitment is in line with previous support provided to these children for most school holidays since October 2020, by Bristol City Council.
The contract supplier has been chosen using the CSS framework and is a continuation of an existing and well-established good quality provision by them.

To spend up to £331k of the Council’s allocation from the Household Support Fund for October 2022 to March 2023 to provide Free School Meals vouchers to 22,000 children over the October school holidays and use the Crown Commercial Services (CSS) voucher framework to appoint the contract supplier Hawk Incentives.
The Cabinet member for Finance, Governance, Property and Culture, the Chair of Resources Scrutiny commission, the Mayor’s Office, the deputy S151 Officer and the Monitoring Officer have been consulted prior to this decision being taken.

Other options were considered, including adding these funds in to a wider Hardship Support Fund solution, but due to the timing of the governments and impending October school holiday, it is believed that this is the most effective and efficient way to target low income families. It also builds on the same infrastructure and processes that have helped the same families with food poverty over the last 24 months, in school holidays.
A standalone tender exercise was considered but rejected on the basis that the supplier chose via the CSS framework, provides good value and is one that has also been used via a similar competitive tender exercise.