£51m support package to ease the cost of living crisis

A £51m support package will be offered by the Welsh Government to help people facing a cost-ofliving crisis this winter, as ministers accused Westminster of “failing to support families”.

It comes after the UK Government rejected calls to reverse the cut of its £20 Universal Credit uplift, and the Bank of England warned inflation will rise to 5% by the spring, pushing prices even higher.

The extra funding will include giving eligible households a one-off cash payment of £100 to spend on energy bills.

More than £1.1m will go to food banks, community food partnerships and community hubs, including the Big Bocs Bwyd (BBB) project, which will extend its services to a further 25 schools in the Valleys.

The BBB project, which began in Barry and operates out of old shipping containers, aims to tackle food poverty.

Finance Minister Rebecca Evans said: “Families across Wales are facing a real cost-of-living crisis.

“To help tackle these unprecedented challenges, we are making £51m available to develop our own bespoke Household Support Fund to help with some of the costs families are facing.

“Where Westminster has failed to support families, the Welsh Government will step in and back our communities through this challenging period.”

Social Justice Minister Jane Hutt said more than £38m will be made available through the Winter Fuel Support Scheme for households in receipt of workingage means-tested benefits.

The payments will be available to all eligible energy customers regardless of whether they pay for their fuel on a pre-payment or credit meter.

Ms Hutt said: “Most of the powers to address this cost-ofliving crisis lie in the UK Government’s hands but we want to do everything we can to help families through this winter.”