Councils respond to reports on local welfare safety net

Responding to separate reports by the National Audit Office and Work and Pensions Select Committee on local welfare funding, Cllr Claire Kober, the Local Government Association's Resources Portfolio Holder, said: "Councils have successfully and innovatively administered local welfare assistance funding in recent years, providing vital support to some of their most vulnerable and deprived residents. This crucial local safety net has not only supported people facing crises in their lives, from help paying the rent to putting food on the table, but is essential to promoting life chances for low-income households. "The range and scope of support available does vary from place to place. This variation has been driven by the significant funding shortfalls faced by many councils across the country and the Government's often piecemeal approach to funding the local safety net. We recognise that more can be done to identify and share good practice but the ability to tailor schemes to local circumstances has raised the overall standard of support available to those in need.
"Instead of continuing to provide separate money for local welfare assistance, the Government wants councils to find the £74 million funding it provided last year from existing budgets at a time when they face huge financial challenges. This will put additional pressure on existing council services.