Cambridgeshire Labour Group tonight raised fears that the Household Support Fund, originally set up to support households struggling with food or fuel costs in the wake of the pandemic, is going to be discontinued following the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement.
Daniel Zeichner, Cambridge MP, and Shadow Food Minister slammed the government’s proposals.
“Hidden in the small print, the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt takes food from the poor, while handing out favours to the wealthy,” he said.
“This shocking and callous move tells you everything you need to know about the priorities of the Conservatives.”
Labour says the fund, administered by Cambridgeshire County Council, has been allowing successful applicants – on average 150 a day – to receive a £110 payment either directly into their bank account, or in the form of supermarket vouchers, fuel/energy vouchers or cash vouchers redeemable at PayPoint sites.
Payments can be dispensed as quickly as 4 days from the time the application is made. In the absence of further intervention from the Chancellor, the fund is set to end in April.
Cllr Alex Bulat, vice chair of the communities, social mobility, and inclusion committee on the county council, said the fund has been administered by Cambridgeshire County Council in a number of important ways.
“The CLAS (Cambridgeshire Local Assistance Scheme) contract allows residents to receive support for white goods repair and essential home supplies,” she said.
“The fund has also contributed to a direct food voucher scheme for those eligible for free school meals.
“Families receiving this support have told the council that this has allowed them not to rely on other offers of support e.g., local food banks and that this has ensured they have been able to make more healthy choices for their families at a time when food is so expensive.
She added: “From Shelford to Wisbech, Huntingdon to Littleport, and across all areas of Cambridge City, we see more and more of our county’s residents needing support with food and energy costs, many who have not applied for such support in the past.
“The cost of living crisis is not going away and has changed the meaning of poverty. “Many are eligible for support but do not know how to navigate a system that is new and scary to them.
“The fund has allowed immediate crisis support whilst also providing individuals with the information and tools to prevent even more increased need in the future.”
Cllr Elisa Meschini, Labour deputy leader of Cambridgeshire County Council, said: “Since the pandemic, we are seeing more and more people being pushed into hardship by the ever-worsening cost of living crisis, and being unable to access the failing Universal Credit system.
“As a result, more and more people rely on local authorities not just for essential services such as social care, but also increasingly as a welfare provider. When government persists in cutting more and more of our funding every year, both of these functions are becoming harder and harder to discharge”.
Labour says they have raised the issue as county councillors prepare to discuss the upcoming budget at a meeting of the strategy and resources committee of Cambridgeshire County Council on Tuesday 19th December
