Wiltshire council has been awarded just over £2.7m from the Government’s Household Support Fund to support those struggling with living costs.

This money is destined to help residents over the next six months until September 30, 2024.  

The update was presented to councillors at the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, April 16.

Local Authorities have discretion on exactly how this funding is used, but the expectation is that the fund should primarily be used to support households in the most need.

The council has until May 10 to confirm its delivery plan for the funding, which will be submitted to the government.

During the previous funding window, from April 2023 to March 2024, Wiltshire Council was allocated around £5.4m.

According to the council, it was spent on 87 schemes, 23 of which were provided by the council and 64 through third sector partners such as Wiltshire Community Foundation, Age UK Wiltshire, Citizens Advice, FearLess, Centre for Sustainable Energy, Turning Point and a number of Housing Associations.

The fund is intended to support low-income households in need, including families with children of all ages, pensioners, unpaid carers, care leavers and disabled people.

Councillor Ian Blair-Pilling, Cabinet Member for Public Health, noted: “The key question at the end of all of this is ‘what happens when it ends?’

“Because there won’t be another, we’re told, £2.7 million or £5.4 million.

“Some people will be struggling in different ways and so we need to take that information and feed it into a wider business plan, develop what we can develop and redirect things where they are redirectable.”

The leader of Wiltshire Council, Richard Clewer, added that further funding was possible, but that he believed it was being provided in “six-month chunks” because of the upcoming general election and the need for a new government to assess “exactly how or what support should continue at that stage.”

After the meeting, Councillor Blair-Pilling said: “We were pleased to get confirmation that the Household Support Fund is going to run for an additional six months as it has proved to be invaluable, providing that little bit more support to those who need it during these continued challenging times.

“We will plan this next round of allocation very carefully and continue to work with our partners in the third sector to get the help to where it’s needed as quickly as possible."