A plan to support families in East Sussex on low incomes has secured the backing of another county council cabinet member.
On Monday (June 22), Cllr Daniel Bradley, East Sussex County Council’s lead member for children and families, signed off on a the submission of a delivery plan linked to the government’s Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF).
Cllr Mark Estcourt, the council’s lead member for adult social care and health, had made a similar decision on June 19.
The CRF has been described as the successor to the Household Support Fund (HSF).
Council officers say it has been designed with “the explicit intention of moving away from and reducing short‑term crisis mitigation and increasing prevention, financial resilience, and reducing reliance on emergency support such as food banks.”
The delivery plan is a document, which the council is required to submit to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) before the end of the month.
It sets out how the council intends to spend the almost £7.3m it has been allocated for the 2026/27 financial year.
The plan states the council has already used some elements of the fund, such as the heating oil support scheme launched in April and the provision of interim crisis payments through Citizens Advice services.
The council has also already provided food vouchers for Free School Meal eligible families during the Easter holidays and May half term.
The report says the vouchers — previously provided through as part of the HSF — were considered to be a transitional measure this year, which is to be replaced with “more targeted and sustainable support from summer 2026”.
The council says it is in process of commissioning a longer-term Crisis Payment Service, which is expected to be operational in September 2026.
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