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Government extends ‘lifeline’ household support fund over winter

The extension will now run up until April 2025.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 3rd September 2024

Vulnerable households in England are set to receive support for the cost of essentials this winter, the Government has announced.

As summer draws to a close and the autumn and winter months edge closer towards the end of the year, the Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall has this week announced an extension to the Government’s already-successful Household Support Fund for the next six months up until April 2025.

The Government says the £421 million extension “gives certainty” to local Councils and authorities across England over the winter months.

As the cost of living crisis sadly continues to make its impact felt nationwide, the Government is urging pensioners and anyone struggling with the cost of energy, food, and water over the colder months to contact their local Council to see what support may be available to them. 

As well as covering the cost of winter essentials, many Councils also use the Household Support Fund beyond emergency support too – including working with local charities and community groups to provide residents with key appliances, school uniforms, cookery classes, and items to improve energy efficiency in the home.

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The extension of the Household Support Scheme for a further six months comes after the Government has unfortunately revealed that around 1.3 million more people have fallen into poverty since 2010/11 – with living standards falling by the largest year-on-year drop since records began in 2022/23.

With the new Government continuing with its work to “deliver growth in the long term”, the extension of the Fund will help Councils to prevent vulnerable households from experiencing “an immediate cliff edge” of support with a tough winter ahead.

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The Government has announced an extension to the ‘lifeline’ household support fund over the winter / Credit: Pixabay | pxhere

“We are extending the Household Support Fund for the next six months, because it is a lifeline for people who are struggling with the cost of living,” explained the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Liz Kendall.

“The dire inheritance we face means more people are living in poverty now than 14 years ago.

“This Government is taking immediate action to prevent a cliff edge of support for the most vulnerable in our society, and at the same time, we are taking action to fix the foundations of our country through our plans to grow the economy, make work pay, and Get Britain Working again.”

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Manchester’s City Council leader, Bev Craig, has welcomed the Fund’s extension.

“While we continue long-term work to address the causes of poverty, there is no doubt that extra short-term help is still urgently needed for those feeling the impact of the cost of living crisis on top of 14 years of austerity,” Cllr Craig commented.

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“Today’s announcement will ensure we can give that extra support to those who need it most and we will work with the new government to tackle the long-term root causes.”

Featured Image – Aldi UK

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Huge bakery chain Gail’s confirms move to Prestwich – but spells village’s name wrong in signs

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Huge bakery chain Gail's confirms move to Prestwich - but spells village's name wrong in signage

After months of swirling rumours, bakery group Gail’s has finally confirmed it’s moving to Prestwich – but locals have spotted a glaring error at the first hurdle.

The popular artisan bakery will be moving onto Bury New Road, right in the heart of the suburb and directly opposite the new Rudy’s pizzeria.

Prestwich locals have been hearing whispers of a Gail’s arriving for a few months, and finally the London-founded cafe has stuck up signs to confirm it’s on the way.

But the sign contains one crucial mistake – it’s spelled Prestwich wrong.

The red window displays now read ‘Hello Preswich. We’ll be baking here soon’.

One local messaged Gail’s to point out the error and to say it’s ‘not a great first impression for the locals…’.

Gail’s has since confirmed it’s in the process of fixing the signs.

The arrival of both Gail’s and Rudy’s has already caused a stir in Prestwich, which has always been fiercely independent and has only a handful of chains within it (Greggs and Costa are perched by the tram stop).

In fact, one local business-owner shared a moving statement about his concerns for the future of local businesses just a few weeks ago.

Gail's has confirmed it's opening a bakery in Prestwich
Gail's has confirmed it's opening a bakery in Prestwich
Gail’s has confirmed it’s opening a bakery in Prestwich. Credit: The Manc Group

First formed in the early 1990s as a wholesale-only operation, Gail’s opened its first cafe on Hampstead High Street in 2005.

Today the brand has more than 100 sites spread across London, Oxford, Brighton and further afield, and is known more as a customer-facing cafe and bakery.

It’s famed for its freshly-baked loaves, cinnamon buns, ham and cheese croissants and coffees, and is likely to go down a storm in Prestwich.

But the signs have been causing a bit of a stir in the wrong way this weekend – in a local Facebook group, one person commented: “Not locals who own it then.”

Another described it as an ‘epic fail’.

And one person said: “Oh the DRAMA of it all.”

Someone else joked: “I cannot wait for Gais to come to Preswich.”

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Featured image: The Manc Group

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Met Office issues snow warnings for large parts of northern England from this evening

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Greater Manchester could be waking up to a winter wonderland as weather warnings for snow and ice have been issued across northern England.

Expected to arrive anywhere from 6pm this evening (18 November) and last until around 10am tomorrow morning (19 November), the Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for snow and ice for large parts of northern England – indicating that “snow may bring disruption to a central swathe of the UK during Monday night and Tuesday morning”.

Weather forecasters say that although most snow is likely to accumulate on higher ground, with five-10 cm on ground over 200 metres, and possibly 15-20 cm over 300 metres, there is a chance that snow may settle at lower levels “within the warning area”.

The Met Office also said that this possible five-10 cm at lower levels is likely to be “more disruptive”, particularly if travelling and if the snow coincides with rush hour, but the likelihood for that is still “uncertain” at this stage.

Greater Manchester could see snow from this evening as the Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning / Credit: Geograph | Pexels

As the rain, sleet, and snow begin to clear on tomorrow morning, ice may form on surfaces that are untreated.

“We have issued yellow warnings for snow and ice as cold weather moves in from the north,” explained Andy Page, who is a Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office.

“This brings snow showers and some ice to parts of Scotland on Sunday night, and then the potential for a spell of snow to lead to disruption to some transport routes across a central swathe of the UK on Tuesday morning.”

He further added that “gusty winds” in the east also remain a “potential hazard”.

“Updates to the warnings for wintry hazards are likely, so it is important to stay up to date with the latest forecast,” he concluded.

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In addition to the severe weather warnings, a Cold Health Alert has also been issued by the UKHSA, and it covers the north of England and the Midlands right through until Thursday.

Featured Image – Benjamin Elliott (via Unsplash)

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