The government has rejected a series of recommendations by a committee of MPs regarding cost-of-living support payments.
The Work and Pensions Committee’s report, published in November, called on ministers to consider widening the eligibility for any future cost-of-living support payments and for them to take account of the financial difficulties faced by disabled people and families.
The report concluded that payments had not been sufficient to meet the scale of the problem and offered only a short-term reprieve for many.
In its response, the government rejected the recommendation that any future cost of living support payments should take account of family size, and did not accept the committee’s suggestion that anyone who misses a payment due to receiving regular earnings on a non-monthly basis should be issued the missed payment in the mop-up system.
‘The cost-of-living payment is being delivered in three separate payments over 2023/24 to reduce the chance of someone missing out altogether due to receiving a nil UC award,” the government said in its response. ‘The guidance for the current Household Support Fund in England asks local authorities to provide support with the cost of essentials to those most in need, and in particular, that they should consider supporting those who have missed out on other recent support made available such as the cost-of-living payments.’
The government also rejected the committee’s calls to clarify guidance to local authorities on Household Support Fund eligibility for people with no recourse to public funds, suggesting that the range of different circumstances is too broad to capture in guidance.
The government’s response said that it was currently evaluating the cost of living payments scheme.
Sir Stephen Timms, chair of the Work and Pensions Committee, said: ‘Despite the support payments making an important impact in helping those in need, some either did not receive sufficient help or missed out.
‘It is also important that councils receive clear guidance on who is eligible for the Household Support Fund, which acts as a crucial safety net for those who do not qualify for payments or means tested benefits. The possibility that there will be no Household Support Fund in the next financial year is causing widespread alarm.’
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