Councils call for extension to Household Support Fund

Councils are urging to Government to extend the Household Support Fund to help protect vulnerable households.

The Fund has provided £820 million in Government funding for local welfare support over the past year, but is set to end on 31 March.

According to the Local Government Association, the fund has been used to help millions of households facing hardship, who would otherwise have struggled to buy food, heat their home or go without other essentials.

More than 80 per cent of the councils that responded to a LGA survey said that financial hardship has increased in their areas at the same time as vital local funding used to support vulnerable households is due to end.

73 per cent of respondents said they expect hardship to increase even further over the next 12 months, while just under a fifth expect it to stay the same.

Cllr Pete Marland, Chair of the LGA’s Economy and Resources Board, said: “The Household Support Fund has provided an essential lifeline for our most vulnerable residents, but our survey shows this help is needed now more than ever.

“Now is not the time to scale back support. Many at-risk households continue to face considerable challenges in meeting essential living costs, with demand for support greater than when the fund was first introduced.

“Ultimately, councils want to shift from providing crisis support to investing in preventative services which improve people’s financial resilience and life chances, alongside a sufficiently-resourced national safety net.

“However, without an urgent extension of Household Support Fund for at least a year, there is a risk of more households falling into financial crisis, homelessness and poverty.”