Council bosses are again urging the Government to extend the Household Support Fund (HSF) to avoid an ‘impending cliff-edge’ in support.
In a Local Government Association (LGA) survey, nearly 60% of councils said they would be unable to fund any additional local welfare assistance when the HSF ends next month.
The LGA said councils were ‘deeply concerned’ that the extra cash for people struggling to pay for essentials would be cut just ahead of rising winter demand.
It called for a six-month extension to the HSF, which was introduced in 2021 to run for six months but has since been extended four times.
The chair of the LGA’s economy and resources board, Pete Marland, said: ‘Ultimately, councils want to see a shift away from short-term, crisis support so they can instead invest in preventative services which improve people’s financial resilience and life chances.’
A spokesperson for the Department for Work and Pensions said more details on the HSF would be set out ‘in due course’.
They added: ‘This Government will tackle the scar of poverty by making sure work pays and improving support to help people into good work.’
