One in 10 turned down free money

But more is on offer

One in 10 households in East Devon turned down the offer of government funding in the last round of household support funding [HSF].

Nearly 700 households in the area were entitled to payments of up to £650 each. Just over 90 per cent of them claimed the money, although some said they didn’t need it.

Now, more residents in East Devon are set to benefit from the latest batch of government funding.

The newest HSF scheme is making nearly £650,000 available to East Devon District Council to distribute to eligible claimants over the next year.

People who have not received cost-of-living payments from the government and those in receipt of housing benefits and council tax support are prioritised by the council in the scheme.

Those people will be identified by the authority itself, so do not need to apply. East Devon will keep an eye out for people who fall into financial trouble in the coming year, and will keep some money back for them.

The government is also giving an additional £400 in energy payments to those who are not directly linked to an energy supplier. This includes people living in park homes, care homes and those who are off-grid.

While the original scheme paid out over six months, this latest £400 grant will be a one-off payment.

Leader of the opposition Conservatives in East Devon, Cllr Philip Skinner, welcomed the latest round of cash.

“There are lots of people out there that do need some support,” he said. “And we just need to identify where that support’s required and support those people accordingly.”

More details on East Devon’s plans for rolling out the funding will be revealed at a cabinet meeting next Wednesday [29 March].