Local Welfare Provision

Changes to the scheme

There have been some changes to the Local Welfare Provision scheme, please read the following information before contacting us.

Our Local Welfare Provision (LWP) scheme helps vulnerable people in short-term crisis with food and energy costs. The scheme intends to meet one off needs rather than ongoing expenses. It is a discretionary scheme, which means there is no automatic entitlement to support.

We can help with:

  • food parcels - this may be provided by a partner organisation
  • gas and electricity vouchers for pre-paid meters - this may be provided by a partner organisation
  • short-term help with your rent if you are experiencing financial hardship, apply for a Housing Payment (HP)
  • Providing grants to help with costs for food and energy costs via the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF).

You may be asked to supply proof of your income and expenditure depending on the nature of the request. This could be in the form of a bank statement or receipts for unavoidable expenses. Inappropriate or excessive spending may result in your request being refused.

Eligibility for help

  • You must have an entitlement to Council Tax Reduction and/or be registered for Council Tax at the property you are resident at. If you are not liable to pay Council Tax you must provide a legal tenancy agreement showing your residency.
  • You must be unable to meet the immediate needs of yourself or your family by any other means. For example:
    • budgeting advances, overdrafts, friends and family
  • You must have experienced a short term crisis that has meant additional expenditure. This could include:
    • a disaster/crisis such as fire or flood
    • fleeing domestic violence
    • moving into accommodation where you were previously homeless
    • exceptional travel expenses such as attending the funeral of a close relative

Information we can provide

We can give you information about:

Contact us

Get in touch if you or your family are in immediate need or hardship.

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