More plans to support Bedfordshire residents this winter as the Cost of Living continues to rise

The funding will be used to provide direct support to the most vulnerable, including children, those in receipt of state pensions, disabled people and those on low incomes. Alongside this direct support, the funding will also be used to support a network of important community and voluntary organisations providing support on the ground in the local areas such as foodbanks and Citizens Advice.

Those eligible for direct support include any household in Central Bedfordshire that meets one or more of the following criteria: eligible and claiming for free school meals (including two-year-old funding or Early Years Pupil Premium); a care leaver (young adults aged between 18 and 25 years old that have previously spent time in care before they were 18 years old); working age claimants in receipt of Local Council Tax Support who have not previously received a supermarket voucher, this includes disabled people; Housing Benefit claimants who are not eligible for Local Council Tax Support, this includes disabled people; households with an annual income less than £30,000 living in a permanent, residential park home or on a council-managed caravan site.

Anyone who is eligible for direct support will be contacted by the council in due course, but the full list of who is eligible for support and how to apply for a grant is available on the council’s website: www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/HSG

The council will also provide more funding to a number of voluntary and community organisations, including Advice Central/Disability Resource Centre, Citizens Advice, Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity Good Neighbour Scheme, AGE UK, NEED Foodbank, PREEN Foodbank, Dunstable Foodbank, Carers in Bedfordshire and three lunch clubs in Central Bedfordshire.

Cllr Richard Wenham, Leader of the Council, said: “We know this winter, some residents will be facing additional pressures as the cost-of-living increases. Between April and September 2022 we supported 17,620 vulnerable households and I’m delighted that we were able to continue this over the coming months. For anyone concerned about the cost of living we have set up a dedicated information hub on our website; www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/cost-of-living. We are also providing a network of free warm spaces via our libraries and leisure centres.”