Push for extension of local welfare assistance
October 29, 2020
Have you benefitted from support from local councils to help those struggling financially during the pandemic?
The Trussell Trust have published a report making the case for extending funding for local welfare assistance past the original October end date.
The UK government invested £63million for councils to deliver local welfare in the summer, but with this funding only lasting until October, local authorities have told the Trussell Trust they are now facing a financial cliff edge. Further investment is needed if they are to keep delivering support to those hardest hit by the crisis.
To prevent beneficiaries of local welfare suffering further as we move into winter, the Trussell Trust are calling for the government to:
- extend the Emergency Assistance Grant until the end of the financial year 2020/21
- reconvene the 'food and other essential supplies' to the Vulnerable Ministerial Task Force until July 2021
- invest £250m per year in local welfare assistance over the longer-term.
You can read the full report at the Trussell Trust website.
