Spring Budget's Cost Of Living Support "Thin On The Ground"

Campaigners have said the cost of living support measures announced in Jeremy Hunt's Spring Budget fall short of what is needed to help households struggling with the cost of living.

The government extended the Household Support Fund for a further six months from April in its budget on Wednesday, after campaigners warned the end of the fund – which had been set to expire by April – would cut off a vital lifeline to households struggling with the cost of living crisis.

The fund, introduced in September 2021 to help vulnerable households struggling with rising energy bills and the rising cost of living, has been extended regularly since – and has so far been worth more than £2.5bn, distributed by councils on a needs based arrangement to help with essential costs like utility bills. 

In January, PoliticsHome reported that officials at the Department for Work and Pensions were asking the Treasury to extend the fund in the budget. 

"It was set up on a temporary basis and was due to conclude at the end of this month," Hunt told MPs during the budget on Wednesday. 

"I have decided that – with the battle against inflation still not over – now is not the time to stop the targeted help it offers. We will therefore continue it at current levels for another six months."

The budget also included an extension of the repayment period for Universal Credit repayments from 12 to 24 months, as well as abolishing the application fee for Debt Relief Orders.

However, while campaigners have welcomed the measures, they have expressed concern that the support does not go far enough to address the scale of the cost of living crisis, and that none of the measures are permanent. 

Rachelle Earwaker, senior economist at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF),