Calls to extend £290 DWP fund that millions receive due to end in weeks

Charities and local councils have expressed concern over the impending end of the Household Support Fund next month. The fund, which is financed by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), provides support to thousands of households in need through grants and vouchers distributed by local councils.

Each household can receive up to £290 to cover essential costs such as food. However, the scheme in England is set to conclude on September 30, resulting in most council support schemes closing before winter.

Charities and councils are calling on the government to extend the scheme for at least another six months before implementing a more permanent solution. The closure of the scheme would effectively cut off an estimated 17.8 million people from crisis support.

According to the charity End Furniture Poverty, 36 local authorities have already shut down their local welfare schemes, which provide support with food, fuel, and essentials during crises. If the DWP's household support fund ceases permanently, more councils will close their schemes, leaving no crisis support in 44 local authority areas. This equates to nearly one in three (29 percent) local authorities in England.

The £1bn Household Support Fund, which was introduced in 2021 to help families during the cost of living crisis, has been vital for local authorities and the devolved governments. It saw its last extension for six months by the previous chancellor Jeremy Hunt in the Spring Budget.

Claire Donovan, head of policy at End Furniture Poverty, expressed urgent concerns to the Big Issue: "We know the Household Support Fund is a sticking plaster, but we desperately need one last extension of funding while an urgent review of local authority crisis support is