Equality screening outcome report: Fuel Poverty Hardship Fund

Published in December 2022

Contents

• Overview of the screening template
• Section A Details about the policy or decision to be screened

1. Title or policy or decision to be screened
2. Brief description of policy or decision to be screened
3. Aims and objectives of policy or decision to be screened
4. Who will the policy or decision impact?
5. Are there linkages to other agencies or departments?
   • Section B Information on the consultation process
6. Outline consultation process planned or achieved
7. Available evidence
8. What is the likely impact on equality of opportunity for those affected by this policy, for each of the Section 75 equality categories?
9. Are there opportunities to better promote equality of opportunity for people in Section 75 equality categories?
10. To what extent is the policy likely to impact good relations between people of different religious belief, political opinion or racial group?
11. Are there opportunities to better promote good relations between people of different religious belief, political opinion or racial group?
    • Section C Consideration of Disability Duties
12. Does this proposed policy or decision provide an opportunity for the council to better promote positive attitudes towards disabled people?
13. Does this proposed policy or decision provide an opportunity to actively increase the participation by disabled people in public life?
14. Provide details of data on the impact of the policy with multiple identities
15. Monitoring arrangements

• Section D
  • Formal record of screening decision
• Screening assessment completed
• Screening decision approved
• Footnotes

Overview of screening template

The council has a statutory duty to screen. This includes our strategies, plans, policies, legislative developments; and new ways of working such as the introduction, change or end of an existing service, grant funding arrangement or facility. This screening template is designed to help departments consider the likely equality impacts of their proposed decisions on different groups of customers, service users, staff and visitors.    

Before carrying out an equality screening exercise it is important that you have received the necessary training first. To find out about the training needed or any other queries on screening, contact the Equality and Diversity Officer Lorraine Dennis on extension 6027 or or Lisa McKee on extension 6310 by email [email protected]

The accompanying screening guidance note provides straightforward advice on how to carry out equality screening exercises. Detailed information about the Section 75 equality duties and what they mean in practice is available on the Equality Commission’s website. [Footnote 1]

The screening template has four sections to complete. These are:

• Section A  provides details about the policy or decision that is being screened
• Section B gives information on the consultation process, supporting evidence gathered and has four key questions outlining the likely impacts on all equality groups
• Section C has four key questions in relation to obligations under the Disability Discrimination Order  
• Section D is the formal record of the screening decision

Section A

Details about the policy or decision to be screened

1. Title of policy or decision to be screened

Fuel Poverty Hardship Fund 

2. Brief description of policy or decision to be screened

In response to the unprecedented increases in energy and utility costs and the impact of the growing cost-of-living crisis on household incomes, Belfast City Council identified an urgent need to bring forward support for those vulnerable households in need.

Given the scale and complexity of the challenges being faced by households across the city, at its meeting on 1 December 2022, Belfast City Council agreed to allocate £1million towards the implementation of a Fuel Poverty Hardship Fund which would distribute £100 vouchers for either oil/electricity/gas or a split between them. The formal agreement reached at the full council meeting was:

"In terms of the delivery model, to adopt Option 2 within the report, to use the Local Strategic Partners, and agrees also that the Ashton Centre replace Intercomm as a Strategic Partner in North Belfast and that the Greater Shankill Community Council replace the Greater Shankill Partnership as a Strategic Partner in West Belfast.

i. to increase the Hardship fund to £1million, with this allocation to be met, in the first instance, from departmental underspends and from the realignment of specified reserves, if required;
ii. it would be paid before Christmas if the groups have the capacity to do so;
iii. to endorse the design principles;
iv. to endorse the recommendation to establish a Cost-of-Living Task Group, with membership to be confirmed but to include, as a minimum, representatives from the council, the Department for Communities, the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust and the Belfast Area Partnerships, to ensure that effective referral pathways are created to support the most vulnerable within the city;
v. to endorse the eligibility criteria subject to an increase in the gross annual household income eligibility to £60k, to ensure that those most in need, including the working poor, were targeted;
vi. that there be sufficient flexibility in the scheme to ensure that householders using forms of heating other than oil and payment methods other than vouchers are included to include those using direct debits as a payment method and that this be referred to the Cost-of-Living Task Group to work out the detail;
vii. to note that correspondence had been forwarded to the Department of Communities requesting that consideration be given to potential match funding for the Fuel Hardship Scheme, as requested within the motion;
viii. to note that the design and delivery of the scheme would have implications internally, particularly for those staff leading on community planning and on community capacity/neighbourhood integration and that assistance would also be required from the Finance and Audit Sections, in terms of ensuring that all necessary requirements and regulations were met;
ix. to note that, in anticipation of any additional funding becoming available, including through Government departments, council officers were currently developing a funding framework, details of which would be provided at the committee meeting in December; and
x. agreed that a report be submitted to the committee within the next two months providing an update on the work being undertaken to review the strategic and thematic partners.”

Design principles

The design principles for the fund agreed by the council at its meeting on 1 December were:

i. Ability to provide direct support to help with rising fuel costs through the allocation of a one-off £100 fuel voucher (gas, oil and electric or mixture)
ii. Adopts a timely process to identify need and allocate funds in a managed and prudent way
iii. Supports and encourages self-efficacy through a streamlined referral and eligibility process whilst ensuring compliance with audit and assurance requirements
iv. Delivery partners must have capacity at present and a proven track record of delivering similar schemes
v. The scheme must be transparent and accessible to those who need it within the budget constraints
vi. Standard eligibility criteria will be developed and applied consistently

Eligibility criteria

The eligibility criteria agreed by the council at its meeting on 1 December, includes:

i. A member of the household is entitled to free school meals
ii. A member of the household has recently become unemployed
iii. A member of the household is in receipt of means tested benefits
iv. The household is in debt with an energy provider
v. The gross annual income is less than £60,000

Funding allocations

In keeping with previous funding allocation models the fund will be distributed amongst the nine strategic area community partners based on the allocation method of 50 per cent population and 50 per cent need, using multiple deprivation as a proxy.

Funding allocation table

3. Aims and objectives of the policy or decision to be screened

The aim of the Fuel Poverty Hardship Fund is to provide support to those vulnerable individuals and households experiencing financial hardship during the winter period. Whilst the budget available is limited, the ambition is that this will help reach those most in need through the application of pre-set eligibility criteria as set out:

i. A member of the household is entitled to free school meals
ii. A member of the household has recently become unemployed
iii. A member of the household is in receipt of means tested benefits
iv. The household is in debt with an energy provider
v. The gross annual income is less than £60,000 

4. Who will the policy or decision impact?

Consider the internal and external impacts (both actual or potential) and explain.

5. Are there linkages to other agencies or departments?

The council has established linkages through community planning and neighbourhood structures and will utilise these in the promotion of the Fuel Poverty Hardship Fund.

The Fuel Poverty Hardship Fund is one of many support/advisory services available to citizens and the council will play a civic leadership role, working with key statutory, community and voluntary partners, in terms of highlighting the appropriate support and advice that is available in the city.

In addition, the establishment of a cost-of-living task force will also include representatives from relevant community and statutory stakeholders who will work to ensure a joined-up approach to addressing poverty in the city.

Section B

Information on the consultation process, supporting evidence gathered and has four key questions outlining the likely impacts for equality and good relations.

6.  Outline consultation process planned or achieved

Given the urgency of providing support to vulnerable people this winter this is an exceptional circumstance and within this context it has not been possible to conduct a full consultation exercise. However, Belfast City Council has an excellent track record of distributing funding to the city’s community, voluntary and business sectors.

We will ensure the support available through the Fuel Poverty Hardship Fund will reach those most in need on an equitable and inclusive basis through the application of pre-set eligibility criteria and effective monitoring and verification processes built into the project management system.

7. Available evidence

What evidence or information (both qualitative and quantitative) have you gathered to inform this policy? Set out all evidence to help inform your screening assessment.

It is important to record information gathered from a variety of sources such as:

• monitoring information
• complaints
• research surveys
• consultation exercises from other public authorities

The council is of the view that the distribution and allocation of the Fuel Poverty Hardship Fund will not have specific adverse impacts on any Section 75 group. However, the future analysis of available data and monitoring may illustrate a number of key inequalities which future implementation of the fund or similar schemes may help to address.

• This fund has the potential to promote equality and good relations, while addressing issues of fuel poverty and vulnerability, particularly amongst older people, younger people, and Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups.
• Further monies may be made available to help address the cost-of-living crisis and associated impacts on poverty levels in the city and data/evidence found during the delivery of this scheme will assist and inform future screening.
• One of the other key issues is to ensure a need for balanced funding across the city and to ensure the most marginalised, and those who may now be described as vulnerable, get access to this assistance
• In developing the Fuel Poverty Hardship Fund, Belfast City Council has ensured that Section 75 obligations are met to the fullest possible extent within the exceptional situation of a restricted timeline for scheme development, and delivery where possible over the Christmas period, and that the promotion of equality of opportunity and good relations considerations are at the core of the Fund’s distribution.
• Review and monitoring systems will be established for this funding by the council to inform the future development of this and/or similar schemes should additional funding become available.

Table 1 Councillors from political parties elected to Belfast City Council in May 2019

Table 2 Census 2011 information for use of English as a main language in households

Table 3 Percentages of people in Belfast and Northern Ireland with blindness, sight loss or a communication difficulty

8. What is the likely impact (indicate if the policy impact is positive or negative) on equality of opportunity for those affected by this policy, for each of the Section 75 equality categories? What is the level of impact?

9.  Are there opportunities to better promote equality of opportunity for people within the Section 75 equalities categories?

10. To what extent is the policy likely to impact (positive or negatively) on good relations between people of different religious belief, political opinion or racial group? What is the level of impact? 

11.  Are there opportunities to better promote good relations between people of different religious belief, political opinion or racial group?  

Section C

Belfast City Council also has legislative obligations to meet under the Disability Discrimination Order. Questions 12 and 13 relate to these areas.

Consideration of Disability Duties

12. Does this proposed policy or decision provide an opportunity for the council to better promote positive attitudes towards disabled people?

Explain your assessment in full

Implementation of the Fuel Poverty Hardship Fund is intended to provide additional support to those who are in need this winter and may promote positive attitudes to disabled people by addressing their needs, concerns relating to enhanced communication and assistance.

13. Does this proposed policy or decision provide an opportunity to actively increase the participation by disabled people in public life?

Explain your assessment in full

This is not applicable.

14. Multiple identities

Provide details of data on the impact of the policy with multiple identities.

There is no information on the impact of the poverty fund on people with multiple identities, however there will be opportunities for people with multiple identities to access this funding resulting in a positive impact.

15. Monitoring arrangements

Section 75 places a requirement the council to have equality monitoring arrangements in place:

• to assess the impact of policies and services
• to help identify barriers to fair participation
• to better promote equality of opportunity

Section 75 places a requirement for the council to have equality monitoring arrangements in place in order to assess the impact of policies and services and to help identify barriers to fair participation and to better promote equality of opportunity.  

Outline what data you will collect in the future to monitor the impact of this policy or decision on equality, good relations and disability duties.

Equality and Good Relations

The provision of Fuel Poverty Hardship Funding to target need and alleviate poverty and to be distributed across Belfast has been processed quickly in order to address urgent need using existing contacts with local communities. 

The review and monitoring process relating to the distribution of funding together with any queries and/or complaints received and recorded will provide valuable information.

This approach should allow the council to articulate its commitment to supporting section 75 groups and look for opportunities to assess the likely impact on equality of opportunity and good relations to those who are vulnerable or may become vulnerable during an emergency or the current Cost of living crisis.

Section D

Formal record of screening decision

Title of proposed policy or decision being screened

Fuel Poverty Hardship Fund

I can confirm that the proposed policy or decision has been screened for:

• equality of opportunity and good relations
• disability duties

Screening assessment completed by

Name:   Brian Carr
Date:   7 December 2022
Department:  City and Organisational Strategy

Screening decision approved by

Name:  David Sales
Date:  20 February 2023
Department: City and Neighbourhood Services

Save the Word final version of the completed screening form and email to the Equality and Diversity Officer: [email protected]. A link to this screening form will be provided to the council's Section 75 consultees.

For more information about equality screening, contact:

Lorraine Dennis
Equality and Diversity Officer (jobshare) 
Belfast City Council
Belfast City Hall
Belfast
BT1 5GS
Telephone: 028 9027 0511
Email: [email protected]

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Footnotes

[Footnote 1] Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (link opens in new window)

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