There is still time for Derbyshire residents to apply for financial help towards the their food and energy bills, as the cost of living crisis tightens its grip on the nation.

Anyone facing financial hardship, whether they qualify for benefits or not, has until the end of September to apply for two one-off grants worth at least £64 from Derbyshire County Council.

This funding is in addition to three emergency cash payments already available through the Derbyshire Discretionary Fund (DDF).

A spokesperson for the council said: “Supporting Derbyshire residents who are struggling with the rise in the cost of living is a priority for the county council and the Government has provided the Household Support Fund (HSF) to help us do that.

“To ensure we help as many people as possible, including those who may not qualify for benefits, we’ve provided a £50 voucher per eligible child for families who get free school meals and we’ve also put extra funding from the HSF into the DDF.”

By the end of the month, 23,000 Derbyshire households, in which at least one resident is a pensioner entitled to Council Tax support or on low income receiving home care support, will receive a £100 voucher from the HSF that can be exchanged at the Post Office for cash.

The spokesperson continued: “Additionally, we’ve provided HSF funds to local sector organisations for hard-to-reach pensioners and unpaid carers who are struggling, including parent carers, to provide them with grants.

“We have given HSF funds to district and borough councils to address housing, homelessness and general welfare issues where other existing housing support schemes do not apply or are not sufficient.”

Over the summer, the authority ran holiday activities and a food programme targeted at children eligible for benefit-related free school meals, which included a nutritious meal.

The council is considering the possibility of providing ‘warm banks’ to give residents a warm place to go during the winter days, but has no plans in place at the moment.

The Government has announced that further HSF funds are being made available to cover October to March 2023 but haven’t yet confirmed how much Derbyshire will get. 

For further information on the Housing Support Fund visit  www.derbyshire.gov.uk/householdsupportfund

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