Title

WELFARE

Autumn Statement: £1bn extension to Household Support Fund

Local authorities will receive £1bn of funding to ensure vulnerable households are supported through the cost of living crisis, the chancellor has announced today.

Local authorities will receive £1bn of funding to ensure vulnerable households are supported through the cost of living crisis, the chancellor has announced today.

In his Autumn Statement, Jeremy Hunt has extended the Household Support Fund for one year. This will provide households on means tested benefits with an extra £900 payment.

Pensioners will also receive £300 under the fund, while people on disability benefits will also receive £150.

Mr Hunt said: ‘We will also provide an additional £1bn of funding to enable a further twelve-month extension to the Household Support Fund, helping local authorities to assist those who might otherwise fall through the cracks.

'And for those households who use alternative fuels such as heating oil and LPG to heat their homes, I am today doubling the amount of support from £100 to £200, which will be delivered as soon as possible this winter.'

Mr Hunt also stuck to a previous pledge to increase working-age benefits in line with inflation. These benefits, including Universal Credit, will increase by 10.1% from next April. The household benefit cap will also be increased in line with inflation next year.

He said: 'That is an expensive commitment costing £11bn. But it means 10 million working age families will see a much-needed increase next year.

'On average, a family on Universal Credit will benefit next year by around £600.'

Mr Hunt also said the National Living Wage will see its largest ever case increase, rising from £9.50 an hour for over-23s to £10.42 from April next year.

The National Minimum Wage will also be increased from April 2023, with full-time workers seeing pay go up by £1,600 per year.

WELFARE

Employers and unions agree pay deal

By Paul Marinko | 23 July 2025

Local government employers and the Unison and GMB trade unions have agreed a pay deal for the sector.

WELFARE

A'no-brainer' approach to utilising empty properties

By Steve Grimshaw | 23 July 2025

The No Use Empty Kent scheme has led the way for 20 years in bringing houses, shops and business spaces back to life, and news of its success has reached th...

WELFARE

Let's start with a housing-first approach to welfare

By Mo Baines | 22 July 2025

Unlike health-related prevention strategies which take decades to materialise, the rapid expansion of decent, affordable homes creates conditions for decent ...

WELFARE

Reclaiming homes and rebuilding lives

By Cllr John Woolf | 16 July 2025

Cllr John Woolf says Islington’s buy-back scheme is believed to be the largest in England and the approach is just one element of a broader strategy to maxim...

Popular articles by Laura Sharman