Essex County Council has been granted over £18 million as part of the Government’s extension of the Household Support Fund – providing support to the most vulnerable households as they deliver their pledge to halve inflation.
The Household Support Fund is a discretionary fund provided to local authorities enabling them to support, via targeted schemes, families struggling to cover essential costs and those who may not be eligible for other Government support schemes.
The Government is also delivering further support on top of the £1 billion of funding for the Household Support Fund including means-tested £900 Cost of Living Payments, a £150 payment for disabled people, and £300 for pensioner households. The Energy Price Guarantee is protecting people from rising energy costs this year until the end of March 2024, bringing a typical household bill to around £3,000 per year in Great Britain.
Commenting, Mrs Badenoch said:
“I know families across the constituency have been feeling the pressure of rising costs this winter, which is why the Government have allocated a further £18 million to Essex County Council through the Household Support Fund.
“Essex County Council is best placed to decide how to spend the allocation by drawing on their knowledge of our local community’s needs. The fund has already helped many families across Chelmsford and Uttlesford through challenging times with essential food and energy costs.
“It is just one part of our extensive and targeted £26 billion support package, which includes payments worth £900 for millions of people on benefits and additional support for disabled people and pensioners, whilst every household will continue to save money thanks to our Energy Price Guarantee.
“We also know that bearing down on inflation is one of the best ways to help families cope with rising bills, which is why the Prime Minister has made halving inflation this year one of his top priorities.”
