Families on cost-of-living cliff edge urge Hunt to extend ‘vital’ support scheme
Vulnerable people left “falling through the cracks” have urged the Government to extend a “vital” cost-of-living support scheme in the upcoming Budget, amid concerns it could be closed altogether.
Local authorities and charities are calling on the Government to announce an extension to the Household Support Fund, which since 2021 has been distributed among councils in England to help those in need.
Originally introduced in autumn 2021 for a six-month period, the scheme has been extended three times but was not mentioned in the Autumn Statement, and it is set to come to an end after 31 March.
The Government said it is among existing cost-of-living measures that are under review.
The scheme has been used by councils to fund cost-of-living support such as energy bill vouchers, grants and free school meal vouchers during the holidays. Through it, councils have also assisted charity organisations, such as food banks, in their local communities.
A cross-party group of 160 councils in England have warned that thousands of vulnerable families are facing a cliff edge of support without the fund. The group said it is a “vital lifeline” and have called for it to be extended.
Ruth Welford, assistant director for Barnardos, told the BBC: “We know this is a scheme that has helped local authorities reach lots of families that have no way of feeding and clothing their children, and that cost of living crisis is not over for those families.”
“It’s critical that it continues,” Ms Welford added. “Otherwise thousands of children will be plunged even deeper into poverty. It will be catastrophic.”
Despite calls for the fund to be extended, there has been a lack of clarity over the circumstances under which it can be used to support the millions of people in the UK with no recourse to public funds (NRPF).
A person has NRPF if they have no leave to remain in the UK or their leave is subject to certain conditions, meaning that they cannot claim benefits or housing.
NRPF is mandatory for many visas, and normally applies if a person is in the UK for work, study or on compassionate grounds, with temporary but not indefinite leave to remain.
The Government states that authorities can provide a “basic safety net” to people with NRPF, if there is a “genuine care need,” for example, if:
- They have community care needs
- They have serious health problems
- There is a risk to a child’s wellbeing
This means that adults without children or care needs are unlikely to be able to access financial support.
The Government has told the Work and Pensions Committee that “it would not be appropriate to provide a definitive list of powers that a local authority might use” in relation to the Household Support Fund and people with NRPF.
Muhammed arrived in the UK from Pakistan in 2006 on a work visa, and was later granted discretionary leave to remain so that he could care for his elderly grandmother.
He can only apply for indefinite leave to remain after 10 years of being in the UK under this condition, which leaves him with no recourse to public funds.
“I’ve been caring for my grandmother without any support from the Government. I’m working full-time as well to support my family,” the 38-year-old railway worker told i.
He has gone to his local council for support in the past but said he had been rejected because of his immigration status.
“I have also applied to become a police officer with British Transport Police, but after the first and second assessment I get told that – because I don’t have indefinite leave to remain – I can’t be an officer, unfortunately.
“It’s discrimination of people from third countries who have been living in the UK and are struggling to survive under the circumstances.”
Josephine Whitaker-Yilmaz from Praxis, a charity which offers advice and support to migrants, told i that it is “concerning” that people like Muhammed cannot easily access assistance through the Household Support Fund.
She said that instructions to councils on the support they can offer people with NRPF is “very unclear,” adding: “It’s intended to be a fallback to catch people falling through the cracks of the benefit system within the cost-of-living crisis, and people with NRPF are a major group amongst those.”
Sir Stephen Timms, the Labour MP for East Ham and Work and Pensions Committee chair, told i that the fact that there are no specific instructions on how people with NRPF can be covered by the Fund “is ridiculous”.
He said he has written to the Department for Work and Pensions to ask whether or not councils are able to support people with NRPF through the Household Support Fund and was told that they should “take legal advice”.
“In the current circumstances, families with no recourse to public funds face difficulties like other families, but they can’t get help that others can. We are talking about hard-working, law-abiding families,” Sir Stephen said.
Project 17, a charity which aims to end destitution among families with no recourse to public funds, told i it initially signposted such people to apply for assistance through the Household Support Fund, but many were told it was not available.
This was either because people did not fit narrow criteria for application, or because local authorities were using it for their existing services, or because of lack of clarity on whether people with NRPF were allowed to be given it, a spokesperson said.
A spokesperson for the Local Government Association (LGA) also described the same “lack of clarity” in the fund.
She added that people with NRPF are a “particularly vulnerable group, and the fact that they aren’t receiving any national support means they do require a certain level of assistance, so that’s essentially having to be picked up by councils and local voluntary organisations”.
A recent LGA survey found that just under three quarters (71 per cent) of councils that responded have used the Household Support Fund to help people with NRPF.
Research has shown that between 2019 and 2023, the number of children living in households headed up by migrants that are experiencing destitution increased by 155 per cent.
Ms Whitaker-Yilmaz said: “The Government needs to make it clear that local authorities can support people with NRPF through the Household Support Fund. But we shouldn’t need to have a Household Support Fund, and it’s there because the benefit system has become so stingy.”
A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said: “We have invested over £2bn in the Household Support Fund over the last few years – with almost £800m already paid to families with children to help with the cost of living.
“The powers and duties of a local authority, as well as the rules around immigration status, have not changed. It is up to local councils to determine if an individual is eligible to receive support via the Fund.”
A government spokesperson said: “The current fund is available up until March 2024 as part of wider cost of living support worth on average £3,700 per household, including raising benefits by 6.7 per cent from April and increasing the Local Housing Allowance.”
