Shelter statement on the importance of local welfare assistance schemes

Our comment following the publication of our briefing on the removal of local welfare assistance schemes and the impact this has on families.

Anne Baxendale, director of campaigns and policy at Shelter, said: “Local welfare schemes provide low income families with a vital safety net, offering them low-cost loans for essential household items such as beds and washing machines. But worryingly, the current squeeze on council funds means that this help is disappearing.

“Even worse, this is happening at a time when many families need extra support because rents have shot up while welfare has been slashed. At Shelter, we often speak to parents who’ve taken out risky high-interest loans to pay for something as basic as replacing a faulty fridge.

“In order to turn this around, the government must ensure councils have enough funding to keep these valuable schemes in place. And in the long-run, they need to build more genuinely affordable homes that families on low incomes can actually afford to rent.”

ENDS