A further £160 million will be made available to families in England until the end of September, in the final extension of the Government’s COVID Local Support Grant.
The grant, introduced in December 2020, provides extra support with food, key utility bills and other essentials.
Cllr Sharon Taylor, Chair of the LGA’s Resources Board, said: “This latest continuation of funding will help councils to provide much-needed support to low-income households at risk of poverty and financial hardship, including being able to provide further targeted help to families entitled to free school meals during the summer holiday period.
“Councils can now plan ahead into the early autumn.”
She added: “As we move into recovery, councils would like to be able to place greater emphasis on promoting resilience and developing opportunities for their more deprived households.
“To ensure that we are able to best address the underlying drivers of disadvantage and break cycles of poverty in the longer term, there is a need for sustainable, preventative financial advice and support that will strengthen households’ capability and wellbeing, and prevent crises from recurring.
“This is why the LGA is working with government and partners to identify how best to enable councils to provide more long-term, integrated, preventative support to low-income households in the forthcoming Spending Review.”
