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Labour Group Room

Town Hall
Halifax
HX1 1UJ

Welfare Reform Division

4th Floor Fry Building
NW Quarter
2 Marsham Street
LONDON
SW1P 4DF

Dear Sirs
Local Wefare provision in 2015 to 2016
I am writing on behalf of Calderdale Labour group to respond to the consultation Local welfare
provision in 2015 to 2016 to urge you to save local welfare assistance.
Labour are the largest group on Calderdale council, with 25 out of 51 seats, and represent the
communities locally who have been most affected by the economic situation and by the
Governments welfare changes.
So far this year, more than 200 people have been helped through the local welfare fund. And if
the fund has been underspent, the past commitment has been to ringfence the money for
other actions to support the most vulnerable for example, by helping social housing providers
to give advice on accessing work and financial assistance to their tenants, or by supporting
initiatives on fair finance through the local credit unions.
The wider picture is that we are now seeing over 250 people attending local food banks, and
anticipate this rising to 300 early in the New Year. More than a quarter of our children live in
homes affected by child poverty once housing costs have been taken into account.
The local schemes provide mattresses for families who cannot afford furniture for their
children, help families with heating their home if the family faces a crisis such as a broken
boiler and cannot pay for a replacement, and support domestic violence victims and their
families to move into a safe and secure home.

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In the context of cuts which will exceed 100 million by 2018, like many authorities Calderdale
will struggle to retain this help without specific funding. I understand that nationally there is
clear evidence that if the funding were to be abolished almost three quarters of councils would
either end or scale back their local scheme. Based on the national scheme the average claim
was just 124, meaning that 1.2 million households who could be supported by the fund in
England may be unable to get help in future.
Without these schemes, families would have to choose between going without basic essentials
to keep their family safe and healthy such as food or heating, or turning to high cost credit or
pay day loans, plunging them into a debt trap. Four in 10 people who take out payday loans
use them to pay for essentials like food or fuel (Which? 2013), this is likely to increase should
support for these basic essentials be removed.
We are deeply concerned that if local welfare assistance is not preserved, there will be a
devastating impact on millions of children.
That is why I am writing to this consultation to call on the government to reinstate the funding
for these vital schemes. Calderdale Labour group therefore supports option 4 in the
consultation which calls for the re-introduction of the funding for Local Welfare Assistance
Schemes. It is clear that only option 4 in the consultation involve the money being reinstated.
Removing this funding will see many families having nowhere to turn. This would jeopardise
the future and well-being of millions of children.
We are therefore calling on the government to reinstate the funding for local welfare
assistance schemes, and look forward to hearing from you.
Yours faithfully

Cllr Tim Swift

Leader of the Labour Group
Copy to Linda Riordan MP, Craig Whittaker MP