Stories

Thu, 17 Sep 2026

Thu, 17 Sep 2026 Councils to share £5m in 'emergency food aid' as living costs rise

The money from the Welsh government will amount to around £200,000 to every council.

* The Welsh government is providing £4.8 million in emergency funding for local councils to support people struggling with the cost of living.
* The funding will be split between 22 local authorities, with a premium for those in rural areas due to the challenges of delivering support in sparsely populated regions.
* Councils can use the money to provide emergency food aid and other support through community organisations such as food banks, lunch clubs, and advice providers.
* Reform UK Wales welcomes the support but says more needs to be done to help people in need.
* Deputy First Minister Sioned Williams calls on the UK government to introduce social tariffs for low-income households with cheaper energy prices.
* The UK government responds by saying it has already cut VAT on electricity bills from October and will continue to look at ways to protect families from unaffordable bills.