Emergency funding

Rose341

I left my job recently with a new one due to start on 30th March. Given that for most of my notice period I was signed off sick, my final pay was very little. I can just about get by for the next couple of weeks.
However, due to the coronavirus, my new employment has been delayed by a further 4 weeks so not looking to start until at least the start of May. The employees are all working from home so understandably I cannot start as there would be no one to train me. 
Is there any funding that might be available for me to help out and tide me over? 
The new job is guaranteed. I have my contract etc I just don't have any income for the next few weeks. 
I must note I have an active IVA (about 18 months left) so a standard loan or credit card is not an option. 
Thanks

Dox

Best bet is to follow the guide on this site, which is being constantly updated: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2020/03/uk-coronavirus-help-and-your-rights/

Rose341

So I managed to finally get through to DWP for a claim for universal credit which will help.
However, I have been told by more than one person that they think my new employer should be paying me from the date I was originally meant to start. They have said that because my start date was set for 30th March and has been postponed due to the coronavirus, I should be on full paid leave like everyone else in the company.  I have not started yet. Have literally done nothing 
Is this true? And how would I even ask? 

Jeremy535897

It's a difficult legal question (and I am not a lawyer) and the answer depends on whether you have a signed employment contract with the start date in it. If you have, you could try to sue for breach of contract, but it's not the way you want to start a new job. If I were you, I would point out that this is going to make life very hard for you, and is there anything they can do to help (an advance on salary perhaps).
Having said all that, one sentence in your post strikes me as odd. You say "I should be on full paid leave like everyone else in the company". Do you mean it has shut down and furloughed everybody? If that is the case, I would assume they will be entering the coronavirus job retention scheme, so they can get 80% of furloughed staff's wages paid to them. The fact that you have not joined yet adds further complexity, as we don't have the details of the scheme yet.