£90 payments on way to help vulnerable residents across Fylde

Fylde Council has received £270,000 in funding from Lancashire County Council, and a one-off payment of £90 will be made to each household in the borough where a person of pension age and in receipt of Council Tax support is resident.

The funding remaining after those payments will be used to support vulnerable residents through Citizens Advice with essential costs such as heating and energy.

Fylde Council says that a further bid has been submitted with the aim of allowing it to continue working more widely with Citizens Advice Fylde, Age UK, and Fylde Foodbank to help those most in need.

Coun Karen Buckley, leader of Fylde Council, said: “I’m proud that Fylde Council has voted to provide this much-needed assistance to the most vulnerable members of society.

"The rise in the cost of living has affected us all, and these payments – along with the additional support for our valued local partner agencies – will help ease these hardships.”

The Household Support Fund originated in September 2021 with a £500m fund to help vulnerable households across the country with essentials during the winter period.

Fylde Council received £150,000 in that tranche through Lancashire County Council, which was distributed through small payments to support vulnerable households meet daily costs such as food, clothing and utilities.

In May, the Government announced that the Household Support Fund grant had been extended again to offer additional support to vulnerable households.

The extra £270,000 distributed to Fylde by Lancashire County Council to help the elderly is designed to complement the support for families and individuals provided through the County Council’s £4m free school meal voucher scheme over the school holidays from April to September.

The £90 payments will come in the form of a letter with a code which can be scanned at the Post Office to claim the cash payment, to a maximum of one letter and payment per household where a pension-age resident is in receipt of Council Tax support.

Councillors on Fylde Council’s Environment, Health and Housing Committee unanimously approved the scheme funding in June, and the proposal has now been approved by the full council.