EMERGENCY grants available to help York residents who find themselves in a crisis - such as after a sudden illness or fire or flood in their home - have been cut by 45 per cent.

A charity has said people are being “swept further into poverty” and forced to turn to foodbanks as a result of crisis support being slashed in England.

According to research by Church Action on Poverty, Government cuts to the Local Welfare Assistance Scheme mean the fund in York has been cut from £381,733 in 2014 to £209,590 this year.

And fewer people are having their requests for help approved, with the amount of applications given the green light falling year on year since 2014.

But City of York Council says the scheme is one of a number of financial support options available.

The charity says some local authorities have closed their scheme altogether while others, like York, have seen the funding cut back.

A report by the organisation says: “People who need crisis support and cannot access it are at increased risk of hunger, debt and destitution. As a compassionate society, we need to ensure the system can prevent people being swept further into difficulty.”

Following the research, Church Action on Poverty is calling for the Government to force councils to run schemes that provide cash grants, loans and support for people in a crisis. And for money to be ring-fenced for the policy.

Pauline Stuchfield, assistant director for customer services at the council said: “We continue to invest in supporting residents who are experiencing financial difficulties, through the York Financial Assistance Scheme (YFAS) which was allocated £209,590 for 2018/19.

"The scheme is under constant review to ensure it is properly addressing the financial inclusion issues affecting our residents and approvals are made in accordance with scheme criteria.

“YFAS is one of a number of inclusion schemes which provide financial support.”

She added that funding for Citizens Advice York, which offers people help, has been increased from £128,000 last year to more than £131,000 for next year.