This is how much each of Lancashire's district councils will receive from the government's Household Support Fund to help vulnerable residents this winter

By Paul Faulkner
Published 8th Nov 2021, 21:16 BST
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now
Lancashire’s 12 district councils will receive a share of £3m from a government fund designed to help vulnerable households with the cost of food, energy and water bills over the winter.

Lancashire County Council 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 it to lower-tier councils, like Preston, Chorley and South Ribble, for them to distribute to those deemed to be most in need.

All of the authorities making payments from the fund will be subject to criteria laid down by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). As well as food and fuel costs, support can also be provided for other essential expenses and, in exceptional circumstances, for housing bills.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

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

Lancashire's districts will each receive a share from the government's Household Support Fund, while Lancashire County Council will distribute the remainder of the tranche allocated to the countyLancashire's districts will each receive a share from the government's Household Support Fund, while Lancashire County Council will distribute the remainder of the tranche allocated to the county
Lancashire's districts will each receive a share from the government's Household Support Fund, while Lancashire County Council will distribute the remainder of the tranche allocated to the county
Read More
Community groups to be able to bid to Lancashire county councillors for grants o...

County Hall has yet to finalise how it will spend the share that it will retain - although it has already decided that £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. A similar scheme was rolled out during the October half term last month, bringing the total used for that purpose to £2.3m

The cabinet meeting heard that money is being allocated to district councils so that it can be given out via the local “distribution networks“ known to them.

However, Labour’s Mark Clifford - county councillor for Clayton with Whittle and a Chorley borough council - questioned how much consultation has taken place with district councils over the shares they would receive and asked whether these could be increased.