Rotherham Council is bringing forward a £800,000 package of measures to help local people hardest hit by the cost of living crisis.
The package will also help with financial support towards crippling energy prices and help for renters at most severe risk of homelessness.
The Council is proposing to put £500,000 into a scheme to offer non-repayable grants of up to £250 to people who are unable to pay their energy bills after the price hikes. And a further £300,000 will be used to expand Discretionary Housing Payment support for people struggling with rent payments in light of the rising cost of living.
The emergency support package, which will be paid for from the Council’s Covid Recovery Fund, will be considered by Cabinet on Monday 28 March.
Councillor Chris Read, Leader of Rotherham Council, said: “We're all watching the rising cost of electricity and gas bills with alarm, and most of us will have to tighten our belts for a while. But for some people - especially the elderly or others on fixed incomes - spiralling bills can become a real nightmare.
“We already know that more people are needing to turn to advice services. So, as we move on from Covid, we're committing half a million pounds to help thousands of Rotherham households who otherwise wouldn't be able to pay their bills, with further support for people at risk of homelessness when they can't make rent payments - providing direct financial support to those who need it most.”
Up to £250 will be available to households as a one off grant towards energy bills and where possible paid directly to the energy provider. Households will not be entitled to multiple payments. The support will also be available to those who currently pay their bills through pre-payment meters, where the Council is assured that they are unable to pre-pay for their energy.
Access to the support would be via an online claims process, supported via referrals from the Councils debt support services provided by Advocacy & Appeals and Rotherham Citizens Advice. Further details will be confirmed in due course.
Providing additional funding for discretionary housing payments will make support available to more households, to cover costs such as a rent shortfall, rent deposits or rent in advance if they need to move home.
Anyone seeking financial support and advice from the Council, or who wishes to make a claim for Discretionary Housing Payments, can do so online via www.rotherham.gov.uk/council-tax-benefits.
The financial support with energy bills is in addition to the national Council Tax rebate scheme that the Council is administering, with payments expected to be made in April and May, and the Council Tax Support Top Up payments agreed for an estimated 14,500 local households in the Council’s budget for 2022/23.
In February Rotherham Citizens Advice Bureau reported a 50% month-on-month increase in the number of people requesting financial advice. The council’s Advocacy and Appeals team recorded a 66% increase in enquiries in the year from January 2021.