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Report | On The Cliff Edge

Report | On The Cliff Edge

Report | On The Cliff Edge

Thursday, November 16, 2023

Read End Future Poverty's Press Release about the report:

End Furniture Poverty [has published] a report looking at local authority spending on local welfare schemes and examining how they have spent their allocation of the Household Support Fund, (HSF). The report shows that there are now 37 English local authorities have closed their local welfare scheme, while 62% of the remaining local welfare schemes are funded by the Household Support Fund – which is only set to run until March 2024.

Local welfare schemes are local authority-run schemes to provide grants and essential furniture and appliances to support people in a time of crisis – it is up to each local authority whether they run a scheme or not.

Every local authority has also received HSF budgets to spend on crisis support. This has led to many local authorities reducing their core spend on local welfare, relying on the short-term HSF budgets. There are 31 local welfare schemes which are over 50% funded by HSF, and this year, (2023/24), A further 13 are entirely funded by HSF.

On the Cliff Edge: The State of Crisis Support 2022/2023 is charity campaign End Furniture Poverty’s fourth report looking at local welfare spending, using data from Freedom of Information requests to every upper tier local authority in England, and governments in the devolved nations.

Claire Donovan, Head of Policy at EFP, said:

“Crisis support has gone through many changes over the years with additional Covid grants during the pandemic and now the Household Support Fund. While all the additional government funding has been welcome, local authorities have understandably become reliant on it.

“Local authorities need long-term funding so they can properly plan their crisis support offer, whether that is as local welfare or a household support fund. People are struggling to make ends meet as prices continue to rise and the problems will continue well beyond next year so we need the government to pledge funding now.

“Crisis support complements the welfare state and must be available as anyone can face unexpected hardship and challenges such as illness, redundancy or the death of a family’s primary wage-earner. Studies have shown investing in crisis support saves the public purse in areas like health and social care, housing and much more.”

End Furniture Poverty also looked at how local authorities have been spending the Household Support Fund and found that over a third of the budget went on meal vouchers for families eligible for free school meals during the school holidays.

Claire said:

“While FSM holiday vouchers are absolutely vital, we do not believe it should the function of a crisis support scheme. HSF has been used in many cases to prop up the failing welfare system, rather than provide emergency support.”

The government provided £1bn for the Household Support Fund in 2022/23 with £842m going to English local authorities and the rest to the devolved nations. End Furniture Poverty has joined charities such as Barnado’s, Trussell Trust, The Children’s Society and many more to call on the Chancellor to announce continued funding for crisis support in the Autumn statement.

The report also examines the provision of furniture and appliances through crisis support and the role of the social housing sector. It found that 73% of furniture and appliance awards went to social housing tenants and EFP believes that the social landlords should do more.

Claire continues:

“More people are struggling every day and everyone needs to play their part. The government must provide adequate funding to local authorities for crisis support, but social landlords need to provide more furnished tenancies – we believe at least 10% of their housing stock should be furnished, rather than the current 2%.”

Only 1% of overall HSF funding in England was spent on furniture and appliances, compared to 36% of LWA spending.

End Furniture Poverty is asking for a national crisis scheme, locally delivered by councils, that meets a range of needs, including furniture and appliances. It must be adequately funded, matching the current HSF budgets for now of £1bn a year, and be presented as part of a long-term strategy.

Read the report in full HERE

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