South Hams residents could get cash boost

It's to help tackle the cost of living crisis

Residents in South Hams struggling with the cost of living crisis could benefit from a quarter of a million pound cash boost.

Members of South Hams District Council’s (SHDC) executive will meet next week to discuss how to address challenges faced by rapidly increasing prices and how they could help families, supporting agencies and communities. 

Estimates suggest almost 4,500 households in South Hams were living in fuel poverty in 2020; a figure now thought to be much higher. 

In April the energy price cap was increased by 54 per cent and in August inflation reached a 40-year high at over 10 per cent.  Executive members on SHDC hope their proposed measures will help people who are struggling most. 

Conservative councillor for Woolwell and executive member for the cost of living Nicky Hopwood said: “With this plan, we aim to ensure that every penny of support available to our residents can be accessed quickly and easily.

“We want our residents to have access to healthy nutritious food and a warm place to live. And in order to achieve this we recognise that many residents may need our help to navigate the complexities of the support systems that are available. This is why we have created this plan, a plan which clearly lays out what we can do and how we intend to help our residents.

“I would also like to stress that we are not waiting for this plan to be approved by the council, we have already started acting.

“[The plan] also lays out where the funding is coming from and how we intend to work with partners.”

The council already has a three point plan in place, known as the “cost of living response plan.”

Providing direct support where they can, which is easy to access and provides a quick response to the needs of the communities
Working with partners to support local communities and residents by making the best use of available funding and supporting project designed to combat the increase locally
Signpost, share and promote existing support to those who need it most across the district.
The plan aims to use funding from the discretionary energy rebate fund, the covid-19 hardship fund and South Hams’ share of Devon County Council’s clinically vulnerable fund.

It will include;

£163,000 on an additional grant for families who receive a reduction in council tax
A £27,000 grant for communities to support their most vulnerable residents with activities such as warm banks (warm places where people can come together rather than sit at home alone and cold)
A £25,000 grant for community wellbeing schemes such as those supporting mental health, isolation and other wider health and wellbeing activities.
South Hams also aims to give £10,000 to Citizens Advice and £14,000 to continue an extension to the Money Advice Service. 

Cllr Hopwood added: “It is also really important that we do what we can to de-stigmatise accessing help and support. 

“While government have already taken some steps to reduce the impact of the cost of living increases, there is more we must do. We will also lobby government on a number of issues.

“Through our action plan we can set out a series of key commitments. I will also ensure that the council staff all work to deliver on them and ensure that our residents are supported.”

SHDC Executive will discuss the cost of living crisis and the support measures on Thursday 13 October at 9.30 a.m.