More than £3 million is set to be invested by Oldham Council to help Oldhamers through the Cost of Living crisis, it was announced today.
In what is thought to be one of the biggest packages of support offered by any council in the country, the new Cost of Living strategy includes funding for energy, food and childcare, as well as extending the range of existing support available such as the Citizens’ Advice service and community engagement teams, who go door-to-door checking on people’s welfare.
The programme will also provide funding for Oldham Foodbank, and fund “warm banks” across the borough – spaces for residents to go if they are struggling to heat their homes.
As well as offering crucial support for those in crisis, the scheme will also focus on making sure people are receiving all the income they are entitled to. There is currently a huge £13bn in unclaimed benefits nationally and more than £6m unclaimed pension credits in Oldham. Last year, the Council’s Welfare Rights advisors helped residents claim more than £1.8m in benefits they were entitled to and not claiming – and now they’ll be able to help even more.
Amanda Chadderton, Oldham Council Leader said: “We know how tough things are for many Oldhamers right now, and sadly it looks as if things could get even harder this winter. The Cost of Living crisis is affecting everyone. But we are here to help – with £3m of new council funding to help all those that need it.
“We wanted to act quickly, ahead of any announcement from the Government on the national support they plan to put in place, as we know many people in Oldham simply cannot afford to wait for Government to act. This extra £3m will have a huge impact on people’s lives – providing practical support with things such as housing, childcare and energy costs, while also putting more money in people’s pockets to help them stay afloat.
“Spending this money now, where it is desperately needed, will create savings further down the line for the council and other public services, by providing a safety net to stop people plunging into crisis.
“Tackling the Cost of Living crisis is one of my absolute top priorities as Leader of the Council. I pledged when I became Leader that I would do all I can to help Oldhamers in these most difficult of times – and today I’m doing just that.
“Following on from our Cost of Living summit in July, and declaring a Cost of Living emergency at our last council earlier this month, today a huge response package is being announced to match the scale of the issues people are facing – all before Government has acted.”
Energy, food and fuel prices are just some of the areas where costs continue to rise steeply, with inflation reaching almost 10% – the highest rate in over 40 years.
“This is why we will be doubling our support of our Warmer Homes Scheme and investing more than £450k of additional grants to support rising energy costs, as well as childcare and food costs.
Warmer Homes provides support for older people covering fuel vouchers, boiler replacements and property repairs. So far this year they’ve helped support around 10,000 people through their schemes. This means a new £420,000 investment could potentially double that number or more over the course of winter into next year.
