Ahead of Wednesday’s Budget, Parliamentary Candidates Jayne Kirkham for Truro and Falmouth and Perran Moon for Camborne Redruth & Hayle, and Cornwall Council Labour Group are today calling on the Chancellor to reverse plans to abolish the Household Support Fund.

The Fund is designed to help families hit by the cost of living crisis. Over the last year, local households in Cornwall struggling to make ends meet received support worth over £9 million but now ministers seem determined to axe the fund, further deepening the cost of living crisis for households across Cornwall.

The Fund has been used up until now to give direct support of £160 each to older adults on low incomes and families with children on free school meals in Cornwall. A total of £5.5 million.

Much of the remainder went to organisations like Citizens Advice, Community Energy Plus (which helps and supports people to keep warm homes), Age UK, Disability Cornwall, Cornwall Community Foundation and hot meal provision for those in emergency or temporary accommodation without cooking facilities.

The budget comes with the UK economy in recession, shattering Rishi Sunak’s promise to deliver growth over the last year.

Perran Moon said –

“The Household Support Fund helps local families cover the basics – food and energy – to kick that away now isn’t just incompetence, it’s cruelty. At this week’s budget the Chancellor must think again.

But the truth is the Conservatives can’t solve Cornwall’s problems, because they are the problem. Labour has a plan to get Britain’s future back. We need a general election now so we can get on and deliver it.”

Jayne Kirkham said –

“People in Cornwall are already struggling with a Conservative cost of living crisis and recession. It is astonishing that the Government are planning to make things even worse by removing one of the last lines of support for families who need it.

That money went direct to people in need, and the organisations who provide on the ground help and support with the cost of living crisis in Cornwall. Now that money will not be there to support people who are doing everything they can to get their families through the worst parliament for living standards in history.”