‘Crucial that funding is extended’: LGA on IFS report on poverty and living standards

Responding to an Institute for Fiscal Studies report which says 320,000 people have been pushed into poverty due to mortgage interest rate rises, Cllr Pete Marland, Chair of the Local Government Association's Economy and Resources Board, said:

“High housing costs are closely associated with poverty and councils want to continue to support residents who are struggling with the cost of living as much as possible.

“The Household Support Fund provides a vital safety net for vulnerable households struggling to buy food, heat their home and afford essentials. With the fund due to expire at the end of September, an extension is crucial to continue support for residents through winter.

“Longer-term, councils want to shift away from short term, crisis support so they can instead invest in preventative services which improve people's financial resilience and life chances, underpinned by a sufficiently-resourced national welfare system.”