The government has confirmed that the Household Support Fund, a vital lifeline for both residents and councils, has been extended by a further six months.
After being set to cease at the end of this month, the fund has been extended by Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall, giving local authorities around the country more certainty when it comes to the support they can offer residents.
Thanks to the extension – worth £421 million and taking the fund through the winter and into next spring – councils will be able to support members of their community to get through the colder months, when money may be tighter thanks to the high energy bill price. This support can range from home energy efficiency improvements to the purchasing of school uniforms and food.
Fantastic to hear that the household support fund is to be extended - this has been vital to helping the most vulnerable families & individuals here in Medway and across the country.
— Vince Maple #ProudToBeMedway (@vincemaple) September 2, 2024
We will continue to work with the new government to find solutions to some of the longterm issues pic.twitter.com/Cy4GGdnqGC
With the money being given to local authorities to be confirmed in the coming weeks, the government has also confirmed that around £79 million will be allocated to the devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to keep them financially stable too. Commenting on this decision, the Work and Pensions Secretary said:
“We are extending the Household Support Fund for the next six months because it is a lifeline for people who are struggling with the cost of living.
“The dire inheritance we face means more people are living in poverty now than 14 years ago – and this government is taking immediate action to prevent a cliff edge of support for the most vulnerable in our society.
“At the same time, we are taking action to fix the foundations of our country through our plans to grow the economy, make work pay, and Get Britain Working again.”
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves also spoke about the extension of the fund, saying:
“The £22 billion blackhole inherited from the previous governments means we have to take tough decisions to fix the foundations of our economy.
“But extending the Household Support Fund is the right thing to do - provide targeted support for those who need it most as we head into the winter months.”
As covered by Public Sector Executive in the middle of August, a report from the Local Government Association had explored the need for the Household Support Fund to be extended for at least a further six months to give councils the certainty they need to support residents. In that particular report, it was found that 60% of the councils responding to an LGA survey would not be able to provide additional welfare assistance should the fund come to an end this month.
Delighted the government have extend the vital household support fund #HSF to support residents in @Go_CheshireWest over the winter months. It’s important now we work with government to find a sustainable solution
— louise gittins 🌹🌹🌹 (@weezegee) September 2, 2024
To further compound this, at the time only 1% of respondents said that they would be able to match the lost funding themselves.
In a statement responding to the government’s announcement, Chair of the LGA Economy and Resources Board Cllr Pete Marland said:
“It is very positive the Government has acted in response to our campaign to extend this vital fund, which will help millions of vulnerable households at a time when demand for support is expected to increase over winter.
“Local government stands ready to work with the Government on a long-term plan for local welfare support, which shifts away from short term, crisis support so councils can instead invest in preventative services that address the underlying causes of poverty and is crucially underpinned by a sufficiently-resourced national safety net.”
This is the second time that the Household Support Fund has been extended this year, with former Chancellor Jeremy Hunt making the same decision back in March.
Image credit: iStock
