In 2012 the Coalition Government scrapped the ‘Social Fund’ which helped people manage one off, crisis costs (often funerals for example). The Fund had been delivered by councils and in its final year was worth over £730 million.
Last year, due to the pandemic, the Government was forced to reintroduce some extra help again and chose to do it through councils, but provided less than half the original sum, despite the vast jump in job losses and excess deaths in the UK due to Covid and the Government’s failure to manage or contain the crisis.
Today I chaired a meeting of welfare organisations with a DWP Minister on the future of localised help. I hope the Government recognises the damage it has done to our social security system and begins to repair it soon.
