Household Support Fund set to end

A new report has found that 6 in 10 local councils will be unable to provide extra welfare support from next month. This includes the City of York Council after Labour’s Council bosses rejected a budget amendment from the Liberal Democrat group that would have extended the Household Support Fund until the end of the year.

According to a recent study conducted by the Local Government Association (LGA), more than four out of five councils in England expect more demand for welfare support over the winter.

The Household Support Fund (HSF), introduced in 2021, helps people struggling to pay bills, buy food and cover other essentials but is expected to finish at the end of September unless the government or Council steps in.

This comes after Chancellor Rachel Reeves also announced last month that the winter fuel allowance for pensions would be means-tested, taking away vital support to vulnerable residents. This is at a time where Labour’s Council bosses have raised Council Tax by the maximum and alongside an additional tax on green waste collection.

York’s Liberal Democrats are calling for the HSF to be extended for at least six months to avoid a "cliff-edge" drop in support.

A total of 94% of councils who responded to an LGA survey said the funds should continue.

Councillor Ashley Mason, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Economy said:

“The Household Support Fund is a vital safety net for vulnerable residents struggling with the cost of living, which the council is using to target help to those most in need, but is currently due to run out in a matter of weeks.

"We are approaching another cliff edge before the current fund runs out and we urge the Council or Government to urgently extend this for at least another six months, to help support those most affected through the winter when energy bills in particular are expected to be higher.

“This decision by Labour locally is compounded by their nationally party pulling the rug from under pensioners by scraping their winter fuel payment. So many of York’s residents rely on the fuel payment to get them through winter and without that it will mean that many will slip through the crack. This will also mean that those currently above the threshold will be less incentivised to work and save for a small pension.”