Treasury looks at extending Household Support Fund

The Household Support Fund was introduced in October 2021, with initial funding of £500m to help people hit by the Covid pandemic.

It has since been extended several times, most recently in the spring Budget when the previous government provided a further £500m to extend the fund through to September.

Councils can use the money to help people afford their food, energy and water bills as well as other essential items.

The scheme is aimed at vulnerable people but individual councils can decide on their own eligibility criteria and how the money is spent.

The pot of money also includes cash for devolved administrations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to spend as they choose.

Paul Kissack, of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said extending the fund would be “the right thing to do” but added that there needed to be a “proper plan to address hardship, with a social security system that does what it is meant to do – helping people to afford the essentials”.