Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Buscombe on 23 October (HL1902), what kinds of flexible help local authorities are able to target on those in need of urgent help where they have closed local welfare assistance schemes.

Under Section 2 of the Local Government Act 2000, local authorities may do anything which they consider is likely to promote or improve the economic, social or environmental well-being of their area. To achieve these objectives they may give financial assistance to any person. Such local spending decisions are best made by people who understand their communities and who are best placed to make the right call. The issue of local authority spending priorities is ultimately a matter for local discretion.