Council given 'invaluable' grant to help households

The money is provided by the government's Household Support Fund

A local authority has been awarded just over £2.7m to support households struggling with living costs.

Wiltshire Council received the money from the government's Household Support Fund.

It is intended to support low-income households in need, including families with children, pensioners, unpaid carers, care leavers and people living with disabilities.

Councillor Ian Blair-Pilling said the fund is "invaluable".

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said although councils have discretion on how the funding is used, the expectation is it is primarily used to support households most in need.

During the previous funding window which ran from April 2023 to March 2024, the council was allocated about £5.4m, which was spent on 87 schemes including those run by the local authority and its third sector partners.

'Invaluable'

Councillor Ian Blair-Pilling said: “We were pleased to get confirmation the Household Support Fund is going to run for an additional six months as it has proved to be invaluable, providing that little bit more support to those who need it during these continued challenging times.

“We will plan this next round of allocation very carefully and continue to work with our partners in the third sector to get the help to where it’s needed as quickly as possible.”

However, he questioned what will happen when the support ends on 30 September.

Council leader, Richard Clewer, said further funding was possible, but he believed it was being provided in "six-month chunks" due to the upcoming general election and the need for a new government to assess "what support should continue".

The council has until 10 May to confirm its delivery plan for the funding, which will then be submitted to the government.

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