Thank you for contacting me about the Household Support Fund (HSF).
I helped create the HSF when I was Secretary of State at the Department of Work and Pensions during the pandemic.
At a recent debate, I did ask for the Government to consider an extension given the challenge on cost of living which many families find themselves in even though inflation is falling and wages are rising.
As set out at Spring Budget, the Government is providing an additional £500 million of funding to enable the extension of the HSF in England to September 2024, bringing the total funding to £3 billion since October 2021. This extension allows local authorities to continue to provide discretionary support to those most in need.
Additionally, in April all working-age benefits, including Universal Credit, will be uprated in line with September 2023 Consumer Price Index Inflation – 6.7%. Moreover, the basic State Pension, new State Pension, and Pension Credit standard minimum guarantee will be uprated in line with average earnings growth of 8.5%.
This is great news for the most vulnerable households in Suffolk Coastal. I thank the Chancellor for making this important decision and for name-checking my and my colleagues' campaign during his statement to the house.