Anti-poverty campaigners have claimed that emergency financial support for England’s poorest families has been cut by councils.
Church Action on Poverty (CAP) said the amount of Local Welfare Assistance cash, which is used to provide short-term help for people suffering hardship, has slumped from £172m to £46m since 2013.
The group revealed its findings in a blog showing where funding has been cut and claimed 28 councils have closed their schemes.
CAP said: “Local welfare is a very small proportion of the overall public budget, but a vital emergency resource that any one of us could find ourselves needing without warning.
“It is an emergency lifebelt that must be retained.”
