Labour candidates in Cornwall call for support fund promise

Labour’s Parliamentary Candidates, Jayne Kirkham for Truro & Falmouth and Perran Moon for Camborne Redruth & Hayle have called upon the Chancellor to reinstate the Household Support Fund after he failed to commit to reinstating the fund. 

The Household Support Fund is an £842m fund to help families with food and energy costs. Incredibly, as the cost of living crisis deepens, driven in no small part by the largest tax burden in 70 years, the Chancellor has not committed to reinstate the fund - a potential £9,057,140 cut in support for households in Cornwall.

This has been used up until now to give direct support of £160 each to older adults on low incomes and families with children on free school meals in Cornwall. A total of £5.5 million.

Much of the remainder went to organisations like Citizens Advice, Community Energy Plus (which helps and supports people to keep warm homes), Age UK, Disability Cornwall, Cornwall Community Foundation and hot meal provision for those in emergency or temporary accommodation without cooking facilities. 

Jayne Kirkham said: "I'm deeply disappointed that the government has not committed to extend the Household Support Fund. That money went straight to the people who need it and the organisations who provide direct, on the ground, help and support with the cost of living crisis in Cornwall. 

"Now that money will not be there to support people in Cornwall who are doing everything they can to get their families through the worst parliament for living standards in history.”

Perran Moon said: “The Conservatives tried to sneak out the cut to this absolutely vital support, by burying it in the Autumn statement. Families are continuing to feel the effects of the cost of living crisis. The Conservatives have wrecked the British economy – and families in Cornwall are paying the price. Cornwall needs a Labour government that can get our future back."