MORE than £1.6 million has been given to North Devon’s most vulnerable residents over the last three years through the government’s Household Support Fund (HSF).

North Devon Council has also added £100,000 of unspent administration costs to boost the cash to support people suffering hardship following the Covid pandemic.

The council is currently administering the fifth version of the fund which began in April and runs until September and totals £253,000.

The scheme was paused during the school holidays as 90 per cent of the fund had been allocated to families for this year.

Due to demand, Devon County Council has awarded an additional £20,000 to North Devon from its own Household Support Fund, and members of North Devon Council’s strategy and resources committee agreed that £30,000 of administration costs for this year should be added.

The council said it is important that local residents “received as much as possible of this crucial support”.

The HSF was due to end last March but was extended by the previous Conservative government for six months.

The money helps with the cost of essentials such as food, water and energy bills. Local authorities can decide how to allocate it, and in North Devon that is usually by a combination of direct payments and application schemes.

Cllr Caroline Leaver (Lib Dem, Barnstaple South) praised the council’s officers for making sure help could be given to as many households as possible as it is “really tough out there”.

The Local Government Association has warned that ending the fund would create a “cliff-edge” in support because councils don’t have the resources to continue it themselves.

Nearly 60 per cent of councils say they would not be able to provide additional funding for welfare if the grant ends.

Alison Stephenson