Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if her Department will make an estimate of the level of reliance on charities in Lancaster and Fleetwood as a result of the increased cost of living.

We recognise the global inflationary challenges and that people are concerned about pressures on household budgets. That is why, in England, an additional £421 million is being provided to extend the Household Support Fund from 01 October 2022 to 31 March 2023. Guidance and individual local authority allocations for this further extension to the Household Support Fund have been shared with Local Authorities and will be published soon.

Local Authorities have the ability to deliver the scheme through a variety of routes, including offering vouchers to households, directly providing food, or issuing grants to third parties including charities.