The government say they have already invested millions into helping families weather the cost of living crisis
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00:00 170 councils, one common message, extend the household support fund.
00:06 The scheme which provides vouchers to fund essentials for those in need is set to come to an end this month.
00:13 Now Medway are joining cross-party calls from across the county, including from Ashford, Dover and Folkestone,
00:20 for the scheme to be extended tomorrow in the spring budget.
00:24 The financial situation of Medway is well documented, so it's not a case where we can simply go,
00:30 that funding hasn't come from central government so we can just supplement it with something else.
00:34 So I'm really fearful that actually residents who are still struggling with the cost of living crisis,
00:40 maybe in a position where support that's been there for the last few years is simply not there anymore.
00:45 Down the road the Strew community shop is seeing the effects of poverty in the five towns, first hand.
00:51 Everything around me in this shop is donated from the community, but they say footfall here is increasing,
00:58 and they want to see the household support grant extended to ensure people in Strewd don't struggle during the cost of living crisis.
01:08 I think we just want it to be fair to everyone, and it seems to me that in the last few years,
01:13 the wrong people have paid more in terms of the budget, and it needs to be fair across the board.
01:19 We're not asking him to work miracles, we're not asking him to change society, what we're asking him is just to be fair.
01:25 And that's the big message that I want to get across with him, because at the moment it doesn't seem fair.
01:30 A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said,
01:33 "We have invested over two billion in the Household Support Fund over the last few years,
01:39 with almost 800 million already paid to families with children to help with the cost of living.
01:45 The current fund is available up until March 2024 as part of wider cost of living support,
01:51 worth on average £3,700 per household, including raising benefits by 6.7% from April and increasing the local housing allowance.
02:01 With tax cuts expected, including reductions on national insurance,
02:06 what Westminster decides tomorrow could spell the end of a scheme that many in the county rely on."
02:12 Oliver Lewis of the SACS reporting for KMTV.