Council offers grants to help with cost of living

The council is offering help to those struggling with food and energy costs

A council is to use a £4.3m government grant to help its residents with the cost of living crisis, addressing rising food and energy prices.

Rotherham Council said it would allocate more than £2.6m to fund food vouchers for children eligible for free school meals to use in the holidays.

A further £950,000 will be used to help about 14,400 households with their council tax, in many cases covering its cost for the 2025/26 financial year.

Anyone who would like to apply for help through the Household Support Fund is being asked to check the council's website for more details.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the council said it would allocate £500,000 to help households with energy costs.

This funding will provide one-off grants of £250 to eligible households, including pensioners, to help ease the financial strain caused by high energy bills.

It has also set aside £90,000 to support care leavers, offering help with living costs to young people who have recently left foster care or local authority care.

Local voluntary and community sector (VCS) organisations will receive £60,000 to help vulnerable households during the Christmas and New Year period, with food hampers and emergency financial support.

The council said it would allocate £100,000 to provide parcels of household essentials, such as cleaning and personal hygiene items, to vulnerable households.

These items will be distributed through community networks such as food banks and social supermarkets, it said.

The council has emphasised that the allocation of funds is flexible, allowing for adjustments based on demand throughout the year.

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