The council’s Local Welfare Scheme is distributing government funding from the Department for Work and Pensions’ Household Support Fund to people living in the county who are finding it difficult to meet these costs.

The fund can provide short-term financial assistance in the form of a one-off voucher payment to help those who are struggling to afford energy and water bills as the economy recovers from the pandemic. This will supplement ongoing emergency support from the Local Welfare Scheme for residents in financial crisis.