Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Household Support Fund will be extended to sustain crisis support this winter; and if so, for how long the extension will last.

The Government announced funding to extend the Household Support Fund for a further 6 months, from 1 October 2024 until 31 March 2025.

An additional £421 million has been provided to enable the extension of the HSF in England, plus funding for the Devolved Governments through the Barnett formula to be spent at their discretion, as usual.

As has been done for previous schemes, the Fund is available to County Councils and Unitary Authorities in England to provide discretionary support to those most in need towards the cost of essentials.

The Household Support Fund scheme guidance and individual funding allocations for Local Authorities have been published on Gov.uk and can be found here.