Liverpool City Council leader, Cllr Liam Robinson, has written to the Government calling on them to scrap plans to abolish the Household Support Fund.
Together with Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources, Cllr Ruth Bennett, they are backing a call by the Local Government Association (LGA) to request the fund continues beyond 31 March 2024.
.
The letter has been sent to Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Laura Trott MP.
Cllr Robinson said: “Liverpool has one of the highest levels of deprivation in the country and the Council works tirelessly to support our residents, especially those who are economically vulnerable.
“The Household Support Fund has enabled us to help 330,000 residents with food, fuel and other emergency costs over the three-year period, many of whom have needed to access support in each tranche. When the fund is scrapped in March many residents will be put at risk.
“Through the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis, it has allowed us to significantly extend local welfare assistance scheme providing vital support to the growing number of people who are struggling to afford the essentials, alongside others such as home owners with mortgages, who have faced a sharp increase in costs but are ineligible for other support.
“In the short-term, the demand for an enhanced local welfare offer and crisis support provision is not reducing. It will continue to be needed beyond March 2024 to keep residents well, support them to stay in and enter work, prevent escalating crises and reduce pressure on public services.”
