Mims Davies MP was pleased to have the opportunity to speak on a crucial debate - the Furniture Poverty debate - on behalf of residents of East Grinstead, Uckfield and the villages.
Mims Davies MP said: "This week I spoke in Westminster Hall for the Furniture Poverty debate on behalf of residents of East Grinstead, Uckfield and the villages who have contacted me with their concerns.
"The outgoing Conservative Government, certainly when I was in DWP, found furniture poverty to be a hidden issue. Despite our delivering the fastest-growing economy in the G7—the economy was mentioned—the challenges around the pandemic and the war in Ukraine meant that supporting the most vulnerable was often a crucial challenge in the last few years.
"I was proud to work on the £94 billion cost of living support, which I'm sure the Minister will mention, and I was the Minister who delivered the key cost of living payments to 8.3 million people in 2023. Which was no mean feat for DWP.
"I also signed into law the regulations to provide 6 million people with extra cost disability benefits.
"The report by End Furniture Poverty is stark, showing 55% of adults in fuel poverty have a disability and therefore need those extra payments. I thank End Furniture Poverty for its report, and I appreciate this is an issue the Department is seeking to understand.
"When I was a Minister, we were able to allocate £900 million from the dormant assets scheme to projects across the UK to alleviate wider poverty and to support the charity sector.
"I know that many local authorities understand the challenges and needs of their communities best, which is why I absolutely support the extension of the household support scheme. When I was a Minister, we really worked on flexibility in guidance for local councils.
"The Opposition will work with the Government and with all Members to ensure that we support any changes that are possible, but I said to Government Members that when they troop through the Lobbies to vote on the Budget, I hope they'll remember this debate we had."
Mims' full speech can be found here: