Extension to support fund only a temporary fix for poorest families, warn charities

Six-month renewal of £800m scheme in England to help households facing hunger and destitution is ‘disappointing’

The chancellor’s six-month extension to an £800m support fund for the poorest households, used by councils to distribute vouchers for food, energy and water bills, will provide only a temporary fix for families facing destitution, charities have warned.

The temporary renewal of the household support fund (HSF), announced in the budget after intensive lobbying from campaigners and local authorities, was welcomed as a short-term measure that would head off immediate fears of a fresh resurgence of “holiday hunger” in the summer.