<p>During the financial years 2021/22 and 2022/23, the Department for Work and Pensions has supported Local Authorities in England to provide discretionary support with basic essentials to those most in need through the Covid Local Support Grant and Household Support Fund grant schemes. The Department for Work and Pensions does not provide any funding called ‘Local Authority Emergency Assistance Payments’.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>During the financial year 2021/22 the Covid Local Support Grant ran from April to September 2021 and the Household Support Fund ran from October 2021 to March 2022. The total funding allocated for these schemes in England was £621m and the total expenditure was £615m.</p><p> </p><p>For the current financial year 2022/23, DWP has allocated funding for the Household Support Fund in England of £842m. This has been provided in two separate tranches. The total expenditure will be confirmed in due course, once the financial year has ended.</p><p> </p><p>Local Authorities in England can also make similar payments out of their wider funding, received from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities through the Local Government Finance Settlement.</p><p> </p><p>The devolved administrations are responsible for their own Local Welfare Assistance provision.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>