26/08/2022 - Council and communities supporting residents through the cost of living crisis
As inflation and the cost of living crisis combine to place increasing strain on everybody’s finances, the council is doing all it can to provide support to those who 'll be feeling the pressure most of all, especially as we approach the colder months.
We're working with partners to deliver a variety of vital initiatives, schemes and opportunities to help people in the town who need it most.
Our airport company, Luton Rising, continues to provide funding across the community. Their ongoing support at this time for local charities such as Luton Foodbank and the Level Trust enables them to continue to support those who come to them in need of help.
An important part of what we have been able to do is to signpost some of the help that is out there.
Often people fail to take advantage of this simply because they are not aware of what's available. As well as highlighting information, advice and guidance, we're also able to channel government funding to those who need it.
Signposting to support
We've recently launched a section on our website called Luton, supporting you, which gives extensive details of sources of financial and other aid.
This puts a wide range of information regarding support opportunities in one place and will help you seamlessly apply to anything you may be entitled to.
Parents or those caring for children are familiar with Child Benefit, but there are other benefits available, depending upon a person’s circumstances. These include:
This year, the government provided a Council Tax rebate for homeowners of houses in bands A to D. We're still processing some of these and hope to distribute them as quickly as possible.
This summer has been particularly challenging for many, and we've been directing support where we can using funding provided through the DWPs household support fund to target some of the most vulnerable.
We've recently issued over half a million pounds worth of funding to pensioners eligible for Pension Credit - equivalent to over £115 per person. This will help with utility bills and we're planning to provide similar support to our recent care leavers in the coming weeks.
No-one should be cold or hungry
We also identified 11,931 eligible children entitled to receive a food voucher worth £80 over the school holiday period and worked with schools to get this help directly to families.
Throughout the town there are various organisations that can help those struggling for food. As school begins shortly, free school meals will be available to certain families. This will help to ease family budgets but also means children get nutritious, healthy meals to help them make the most of their education.
Each week hundreds of people in Luton use food banks, learn how to cook on a stretched budget, receive food vouchers or get food at reduced prices. See if you can get help with your food needs.
One of the greatest challenges at the moment is related to utility bills that have escalated in recent months. There's help out there if you're having difficulties paying gas, electricity, water, phone or Wi-Fi bills.
We're also promoting a number of grant schemes available to make properties more energy efficient, which will help cut down on the cost of bills.
Help with a range of issues
The reality is that those in financial difficulties often have complex support needs. There's also information and signposting for those who:
- are homeless
- are facing the prospect of losing their own home
- have various forms of health problem, physical and mental
- need help in training to get in to work
Further to this, we'll soon launch a town-wide initiative called 'Food First' a £6m coordinated programme of food focused projects and initiatives. The scheme will aim to:
- provide vulnerable residents with access to food as a gateway to wider support networks
- strengthen the local VCS offer and safeguard the sustainability of provision
- raise awareness among residents of the help available, including free school meals as well
- enhance co-ordination between agencies and projects to provide a more comprehensive and sustainable support offer to residents
There are plenty of websites providing money saving tips to help each pound go as far as it possibly can. More and more organisations are giving advice as to how to get the best out their products or services, but these are a few of the well-known ones:
A message from council leader, Hazel Simmons MBE
“From utility bills, to shopping baskets and the steep prices we are paying at the pump, each one of us is feeling the pinch at the moment.
“While there is no quick and painless solution to the financial hardships many of us are facing, there are various support options available - please take a look at some of the possibilities to see if you are eligible for help in order to make life less of the struggle that it currently is.
“Unfortunately all the signs are that things will get harder for people over winter. As a council we continue to lobby central government making them aware of the plight of the most vulnerable in our town and urging them to provide more money so we can help those most at risk.
“At this difficult time, our message is simple: we are doing all we can to help you.”