A quarter of English councils abolish emergency help scheme amid cost of living crisis

Exclusive: ‘Postcode lottery’ of badly funded schemes leaves 14 million people with nowhere to turn in a crisis

Emergency local council help for families in crisis has been slashed to just 98p per head, with one-quarter of authorities axing schemes altogether.

New research by poverty campaigners has exposed how badly funded and “chaotic” local welfare schemes are failing to reach residents in need, even as the cost of living crisis grows.

It reveals that help with emergencies such as a lack of clothing or furniture, or a broken washing machine, has plunged by a quarter to only 98p per head in England – with one Conservative-run authority spending just 2p.