Welfare scheme extended as cost of living increases

WITH a cost of living crisis fast developing, this would be the wrong time to stop operating a welfare assistance scheme, senior councillors agreed.

Calderdale Council’s Cabinet agreed to extend the borough’s scheme, which has £95,000 a year budgeted for it, for a new threeyear period and to make it more flexible.

Cabinet member for Public Services and Communities, Clr Jenny Lynn (Lab, Park) said schemes were not mandatory – councils have to fund them themselves – and some other authorities had ceased to operate theirs because of pressures on their budgets.

“It’s always worth looking at how it’s worked so far, and whether there is a case for making the scheme more flexible so that it can allow more people to be supported.

“The whole question about how people are coping with the cost of living crisis is very current.

“Key statistics indicate need, debt, food poverty, fuel poverty and child poverty.

“This is very much a scheme that we in Calderdale Council are choosing to put forward,” she said.

Clr Lynn said data showed what a difference the scheme made to people and organisations including Horton Housing, Together Housing, Citizens Advice Calderdale and Smartmove had suggested they would be very worried should it end.

Clr Adam Wilkinson (Lab, Sowerby Bridge), Cabinet member for Children and Young People’s Services, said he agreed it should continue given what councillors knew about the cost of living crisis – more families falling into fuel poverty, inflation higher than any level seen in the last 30 years, and disposable income seeing the biggest drop on record since the 1950s.

“I think now would be the worst possible time that we could look to cease a scheme like this and I very much welcome the increased flexibility that has been built in,” he said.

Cabinet member for Regeneration and Strategy, Clr Jane Scullion (Lab, Luddenden Foot) said: “It is important we have this as an absolute safety net for those people who find themselves in dire circumstances.”

Clr Lynn said there would be two main categories of need.

The first would see some support made available to residents who had an immediate need, for example they were absolutely destitute, had no essential food to sustain basic living, and the second would be to support residents who need assistance to establish or maintain a home in the community because, for example, they have left long-term care, left prison, fled domestic violence, or were moving to supported accommodation or independent living.

The revised scheme would focus particularly on families under exceptional pressure, homeless people, rough sleepers, vulnerable older people, people fleeing domestic violence and a number of other categories, she said.

Clr Steven Leigh (Con, Ryburn) suggested Cabinet consider that the budget was only the same as three years ago and would be the same for another three years.

Clr Lynn said it was an observant point and would be considered when budget allocations for next year were being considered.