Swale Borough Council calls for Household Support Fund to be extended

Swale Borough Council has become the latest authority to call for the Household Support Fund to be extended beyond March.

The scheme, introduced to help the most vulnerable during the cost of living crisis, is due to end on 31 March.

In January Medway Council wrote to the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, calling for it to be extended beyond that date.

The government said it had increased benefits, pensions and local housing allowance.

Swale Borough Council has written to the area's two Conservative MPs, Gordon Henderson and Helen Whately, urging them to join its campaign.

Since the fund's launch in October 2021, £1.5m has been distributed to people and voluntary organisations across Swale, providing emergency food parcels, fuel vouchers and help with housing costs.

Council leader Tim Gibson said: "Many of the households who have accessed the fund have exhausted their options and are desperate and at serious risk of harm or escalating crisis.

"Without the household support fund these families, who are the most vulnerable in our community, will have very few options available to them and this is of great concern to us.

"The council is facing a budget gap of over £1.3m, and while we will still do our best to help those in need, sadly we won't be able to provide the level of support we have been if this fund ends."

A government spokesman said: "We have invested over £2 billion in the Household Support Fund with almost £800 million already paid to families with children to help with the cost of living.

"The current Fund is available up until March 2024 as part of wider cost of living support worth on average £3,700 per household, including raising benefits by 6.7% from April and increasing the Local Housing Allowance."

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