Three-quarters of residents struggling as council outlines support plans
Portsmouth City Council will review plans to support residents, as nearly three-quarters report struggling financially and food and energy costs continue to rise sharply.
At a extraordinary cabinet meeting on 29 April, councillors will be updated on how the council intends to use its £3.3m allocation from the Government’s Household Support Fund (HSF) to help those facing financial hardship.
The report sets out the council’s response to continued pressures from rising food, energy and housing costs.
HSF was launched in 2021 and has been extended six times. The latest round, HSF7, runs from April 2025 to March 2026 and gives Portsmouth a maximum of £3,327,922.34 – down 11.9 per cent on the previous year.
The report says the fund’s aim “remains the same as in the previous rounds; to provide support to vulnerable households in most need of support to help with significantly rising living costs.”
The report notes “the rising cost of living is continuing to cause widespread concern amongst residents with 76 per cent being either very or quite concerned.” Average water bills are set to rise by £86 in 2025–26, and energy bills by £111 a year.
A survey in September 2024 found 72 per cent of respondents were finding it “quite or very difficult to manage financially,” and over half said they were eating less or skipping meals to save money. A fifth said they did not know how they would cope without the HSF.
To cope with the reduced budget, the council plans to lower the value of food vouchers and reduce funding to food providers, while keeping overall support levels steady. The new plan also includes more preventative measures, like debt advice, energy-saving improvements, and help accessing benefits.
The report notes that HSF “continues to be the primary source of local welfare support for local authorities to help vulnerable households,” but warns there is “no confirmation from Government of plans beyond March 2026.” The council may need to find new funding or prepare alternative plans if the scheme ends.
Portsmouth has been recognised by the Department for Work and Pensions for best practice in delivering HSF, especially in “benefit-uptake marketing and communications to maximise household incomes, delivery of affordable cookery projects, and support with essential furniture for homeless households.”