CPAG response to PAC report on Social Fund
15.11.05

A leading anti-poverty charity has responded to the Public Accounts Committee’s report into the running of the Social Fund published today.

The Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) said it agreed with many of the Committee’s conclusions and called for further reform of the Fund to help the most vulnerable people in society.

CPAG Chief Executive Kate Green said:

“The Social Fund was designed to help the most vulnerable people at the time of greatest need meet the costs of things like cookers, cots and funeral costs, but it is not operating as well as it should be.

“CPAG agrees that administration of the Fund can lead to a ‘postcode’ and ‘calendar’ lottery and needs to be improved. We are also concerned that too few benefit claimants – and in fact not enough frontline Jobcentre staff – know about the help that loans and grants from the Social Fund can give.

“While the Government has made some welcome improvements to the Social Fund in recent years, the system needs a more radical overhaul. CPAG would like to see loans replaced with grants that give the most deprived families the basic essentials for a decent home and healthy children, as well as grants to help parents make the transition from welfare to work.

“It will cost more money but, especially as benefit levels remain inadequate, it will be crucial to fulfilling the Government’s pledge to eradicate child poverty.”

In 2003 CPAG, One Parent Families and the Family Welfare Association published Lump Sums, a report calling for major reform of the Social Fund.

For further information please contact:
Alex Belardinelli
CPAG Press Officer
Tel. 020 7812 5216 or 07816 909302
abelardinelli@cpag.org.uk