Tucked away amongst the wave of policy changes being introduced by the new Government, was the recent news that the Household Support Fund, designed to provide some financial assistance for the poorest families and individuals, will be extended.
It may not have generated the same column inches as banning negligent water company bosses from taking bonuses, or stopping no fault evictions, but for the residents who rely on these payments it was a significant announcement and follows continued calls from local councils and charities to extend the scheme.
This is hugely welcome news for Reading. The Household Support Fund is the pot of money which sits behind the cost-of-living vouchers distributed by the Council over recent years, the most recent tranche of which saw the Council send vouchers worth £185 each to more than 4,000 residents earlier this summer. Those residents are made up of Reading households with children who are directly eligible for Pupil Premium Free School Meals and Reading care leavers.
During 2023/24 – the fourth round of the fund’s existence – a total of 4,630 families in Reading claiming pupil premium school meals, and care leavers, received vouchers totalling up to £365; 880 eligible households with residents above state pension age received payments of £450; 2,651 payments s of £125 were made to low-income households who applied for cost-of-living support; and a further 2,537 people were supported via Reading’s voluntary and community sector organisations, who continue to reach people who may otherwise be missed.
For many of us it can be easy to be dismissive about cost-of-living vouchers worth only £185, but for families and individuals who are facing genuine poverty the vouchers go a long way and can mean putting some food on the table or being able to pay for heating at moments when they are really struggling.
Of all the dubious legacies left by the previous Government after 14 years, and there are a fair few we could list, the increase in child poverty in our society is arguably the most damaging and with the furthest reaching consequences. I would argue it competes with the intentional hollowing out of preventative public services over very many years which would have provided a safety net of sorts to individuals and families in some of more deprived communities.
While food prices, for the time being at least, have stabilised, there was the unwelcome recent news that the average energy bill is set to rise by 10% to £1,717 from October. The extension of the Household Support Fund from its original end date of this month to April 2025, is indeed timely.
We await further details of the latest guidelines from Government. In the meantime, I have asked Council officers to review our local scheme to ensure that it includes support for our older residents on low-incomes, particularly those that may struggle without the winter fuel payment. We will ensure that our plans are in place so that we can distribute this funding when people need it over the winter months.
Keep an eye on our webpage at https://www.reading.gov.uk/housing/money-matters/household-support-fund/ for the latest information over the coming weeks.
Liz Terry is the leader of Reading Borough Council
