Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data her Department holds on steps councils are taking to support pensioners with the cost of living in winter 2024-25.

The Government does not hold any data on the steps that councils are taking to support pensioners with the cost of living in winter 2024-25.

In England, the Household Support Fund (HSF) is a scheme funded by the Department for Work and Pensions and delivered by all Upper Tier Local Authorities to support those most in need with the cost of essentials, such as food, energy and water. The HSF is intended to cover a wide range of low-income households in need, including households with children of all ages, pensioners, unpaid carers, care leavers and disabled people, larger households, single-person households, and those struggling with one-off financial shocks or unforeseen events. Since October 2022, there has been no ring-fencing of funding for certain groups.

Local Authorities have the discretion to design their own local schemes within the parameters of the guidance and grant determination that the Department for Work and Pensions have set out for the fund. This is because they have the ties and the knowledge to best determine how support should be provided in their local communities.