'Chaotic': Councils cut emergency aid to poorest people to just 98p per head

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Local council emergency aid for families in crisis has been cut to just 98p per head, with a quarter of authorities scrapping schemes altogether.

New study by anti-poverty campaigners has revealed how poorly funded and 'chaotic' local welfare programs are failing to reach residents in need, even as the cost of living slumps is rising.

It reveals that aid for emergencies like lack of clothes or furniture, or a broken washing machine, has plunged by a quarter to just 98 pence per capita in England - with a Tory-led authority spending just 2p.

In contrast, councils in Scotland allocated £9.42 in 2021-22, with spending in Wales (8. £76) and in Northern Ireland (£14.90) also considerably higher.

Almost a quarter of English councils - a total of 35, spanning 14 million people - have no crisis support, research shared exclusively with The Independent shows.

Ominously, flagship government sc Heme intended to close the gap - the Household Support Fund (HSF) - is a poorly targeted 'sticky plaster', according to the End Furniture Poverty study.

Applications were only possible for 17% of the first £ Slice of 500 million, with the bulk being distributed automatically based on criteria such as eligibility for free school meals.

Claire Donovan, the charity's policy manager, said the programs of Local Welfare Assistance (LWA) - introduced as part of austerity cuts in 2013 - fails "the most vulnerable people in our society at a time of great need".

"The HSF system has been chaotic and, while we're very happy that it's continuing, it's just another band-aid when something goes wrong. e more permanent is absolutely necessary.

Paul Maynard, a Tory MP demanding an overhaul of anti-poverty programs, told The Independent that research has proven the system is simply "too complex to navigate".

"It is more important than ever that the government examines how LWA ng works, and how it fits into its overall approach to tackling extreme poverty. I have already urged the Minister to look at the wider picture."

And Jonathan Ashworth, the Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, said: "The fact that councils have had to cut back, or the... .