The Leader of Hull City Council is calling on the Chancellor to extend a fund that helps people struggling with cost of living pressures.
Jeremy Hunt is due to announce his Budget later today (Weds 6 March), and Councillor Mike Ross has added his weight to those calling for the Household Support Fund, which is due to finish at the end of this month, to be extended.
He is among dozens of council leaders who have signed a letter written by the Local Government Association, which wants the fund to be extended by a minimum of a year.
Councillor Ross said: “It’s massively important that the Household Support Fund continues.
“In Hull, it helps the Council to offer support to things like food banks, free school meals during holiday periods, and warm spaces.
“It also allows for support to low income households to improve their energy efficiency, including insulation improvements and boiler replacements.
“The fund is targeted at residents who have been severely impacted by increases in living costs, providing a vital safety net for them.”
Hull is among more than 160 councils that have warned that thousands of vulnerable families are facing a cliff edge without the Household Support Fund.
In the letter signed by Councillor Ross, the Local Government Association says “local services are experiencing record demand for local welfare support.”
It adds that “a significantly reduced local welfare support offer risks more households falling through the gaps into financial crisis, destitution and homelessness, and increasing pressure on already overstretched public services, including the NHS, social care and temporary accommodation.”
You can read the LGA’s letter here.
For more information on the Household Support Fund in Hull, visit Household Support Fund | Hull.
