Medway Council has joined 170 councils is urging the government to extend the Household Support Fund

The government say they have already invested millions into helping families weather the cost of living crisis

Transcript

00:00 170 councils, one common message, extend the household support fund.

00:06 The scheme which provides vouchers to fund essentials for those in need is set to come to an end this month.

00:13 Now Medway are joining cross-party calls from across the county, including from Ashford, Dover and Folkestone,

00:20 for the scheme to be extended tomorrow in the spring budget.

00:24 The financial situation of Medway is well documented, so it's not a case where we can simply go,

00:30 that funding hasn't come from central government so we can just supplement it with something else.

00:34 So I'm really fearful that actually residents who are still struggling with the cost of living crisis,

00:40 maybe in a position where support that's been there for the last few years is simply not there anymore.

00:45 Down the road the Strew community shop is seeing the effects of poverty in the five towns, first hand.

00:51 Everything around me in this shop is donated from the community, but they say footfall here is increasing,

00:58 and they want to see the household support grant extended to ensure people in Strewd don't struggle during the cost of living crisis.

01:08 I think we just want it to be fair to everyone, and it seems to me that in the last few years,

01:13 the wrong people have paid more in terms of the budget, and it needs to be fair across the board.

01:19 We're not asking him to work miracles, we're not asking him to change society, what we're asking him is just to be fair.

01:25 And that's the big message that I want to get across with him, because at the moment it doesn't seem fair.

01:30 A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said,

01:33 "We have invested over two billion in the Household Support Fund over the last few years,

01:39 with almost 800 million already paid to families with children to help with the cost of living.

01:45 The current fund is available up until March 2024 as part of wider cost of living support,

01:51 worth on average £3,700 per household, including raising benefits by 6.7% from April and increasing the local housing allowance.

02:01 With tax cuts expected, including reductions on national insurance,

02:06 what Westminster decides tomorrow could spell the end of a scheme that many in the county rely on."

02:12 Oliver Lewis of the SACS reporting for KMTV.