Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to tackle loneliness in winter 2020-21.

This government is committed to tackling loneliness. We have delivered millions in funding, are encouraging organisations to take action and are aiming to reduce the stigma of loneliness through our campaign ‘Let’s Talk Loneliness’.

We announced a £7.5 million funding package to tackle loneliness in late December, which is in addition to the £24 million we have already provided this financial year to organisations which support people experiencing loneliness or social isolation. We have also launched the £4 million Local Connections Fund, made up of £2 million from government and £2 million from the National Lottery Community Fund, supporting small local organisations tackling loneliness.

We established a Tackling Loneliness Network, bringing together over 70 organisations across public, private and voluntary organisations to share expertise and develop innovative ways to tackle loneliness.

The ‘Let’s Talk Loneliness’ campaign continues to share practical tips and signpost support. Our winter calendar, which ran throughout December, had over 12 million impressions on social media, with a range of corporate and third sector partners promoting our messages on their channels.