Trafford Council has had a Local Welfare Assistance Scheme (Trafford Assist) in place since April 2013 to help residents in short-term acute financial difficulties.

A public consultation was undertaken in the early part of 2024 on the future operation of the Scheme, given the current levels of demand and the level of resources anticipated to be available.

On 18 March 2024, the Executive decided that the Trafford Assist budget of £218k, plus an additional amount to cover administrative costs would, from 1 April 2024, be re-distributed to the Trafford Community Hubs who are best placed to make decisions on the most effective way to spend resources in their communities. 

Unfortunately, following further consultation with the Community Hubs regarding the operation of the Scheme it was concluded that, at this time, they are collectively unable to deliver the Council’s Trafford Assist scheme in 2024/25.

In the interim, it is therefore necessary that the Council continues to deliver a Trafford Assist Scheme to help with emergency food and fuel and this report details proposals for this interim scheme to be delivered by the Council within the funding available, supported by the 6-month extension to the Household Support Fund.  The interim scheme sets out updated award levels which will need to be constantly reviewed in response to government funding announcements.

As the Household Support Fund guidance has now been issued and links in directly with the proposal for the interim Trafford Assist scheme, this report also proposes how the Household Support Fund will be spent, with most of the funding to be used to support families with children who receive free school meals during the school holidays as well as continuing the direct award support to carers, care leavers, pensioners and households with disabled family members.