Support available for households in West Northamptonshire

This week is Household Support Fund Awareness Week (16 to 22 October 2023) with the aim to highlight financial support available to households who may be facing hardship in West Northants.

In the fourth tranche of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Household Support Fund, £5,199,257 has been allocated to West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) to continue helping the most vulnerable with the ongoing cost of living challenges.

WNC have implemented a number of support offers that have been identified to best meet the need of residents in West Northamptonshire, ensuring the funds are distributed to a range of families and households in need, with differing circumstances. The support offers distributed include:

• Around 12,500 families with children continuing to receive meal vouchers during the school holidays. They have also be given a helping hand for the 23/24 school year, with supermarket vouchers for uniforms distributed alongside support for food over the summer.
• Voluntary and community groups will share out £1.2m in the form of food aid, distributed in separate tranches over winter, to support households experiencing the most hardship across West Northants.
• Over 1,500 households on a low wage (weekly income of less than £400) but have not received any of the Cost of Living Payments or the £150 Disability Cost of Living payments may be eligible to receive a £300 payment to provide financial support. For more information please click here.
• £600,000 has been allocated towards food clubs and larders, with half of the funding to help upscale and improve their use of food clubs and larders in a move towards more sustainable ongoing support for residents
• Around £115,000 has been earmarked towards helping the most struggling households reduce their energy bills through practical measures such as better insulation and more efficient boilers etc. A further £110,000 will be used to provide money and debt advice services to those facing severe financial hardship.

Cllr Matt Golby, WNC's Cabinet member for Adult Social Care and Public Health said: "The impact of the cost-of-living increase is still very much affecting many households and we are continuing to work with our local voluntary and community groups in helping to address this ongoing challenge.

"It is imperative that we offer support to residents, acknowledging that individual circumstances and the help needed differs. Therefore, we have thoughtfully considered how to make the best use of the latest funding from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)."

For more information on cost of living support please visit Cost of living or call 0300 126 7000 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm).