£180k support for the needy

ROSSENDALE will receive £180,000 of a government funding pot designed to help vulnerable households with the cost of food, energy and water bills over the winter.

Lancashire County Council (LCC) has provisionally been awarded £9.6m from the Household

Support Fund, and the authority’s cabinet has agreed to hand over around a third of that to lower-tier councils for them to distribute to those deemed to be most in need.

As well as food and fuel costs, support can also be provided for other essential expenses and, in exceptional circumstances, for housing bills.

At least half of the overall funding received by LCC must be used to support vulnerable households with children.

County Hall has yet to finalise how it will spend the share that it will retain – although £1.7m will be used to provide vouchers to families of children eligible for free school meals to help them with additional costs during the Christmas holidays and February half term next year.