Actions
Action Number 1
- Who: Active Lives and Communities Team / Housing
- When: To be delivered by March 2023
- Status: In progress
Support for the delivery of Warm Spaces in Wyre, including:
- Engagement with key partners for the identification of spaces that can become warm and welcoming places for people unable to afford to heat their homes or those who need to access a range of support.
- Encouraging our local VCFSE partners to register their warm spaces on the LCC online directory of warm spaces so that they can be promoted to the public.
- Encouraging local warm spaces to comply and meet the spirit of the Our Lancashire Warm Spaces Charter
- Provision of over £13k funding to support Wyre Warm Spaces from Household Support Fund allocations
Action Number 2
- Who: Active Lives and Communities Team / Communications Team
- When: From 18 November 2022
- Status: In progress
Promotion of the Lancashire County Council Warm Spaces small grants scheme to local Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise Sector organisations.
Action Number 3
- Who: Care and Repair
- When: In progress
- Status: Ongoing
Assisting older/disabled clients with the completion of Attendance Allowance and Personal Independence Payment forms (can be in excess of £1m per year in claims delivered for vulnerable clients).
Action Number 4
- Who: Housing / Care and Repair
- When: In progress
- Status: Ongoing
Support for those in fuel poverty and the delivery of initiatives to support affordable warmth and energy efficiency. Includes funding for the provision of heating systems, boiler repairs and servicing and draught proofing measures (eligibility criteria applied).
Action Number 5
- Who: Communities Directorate
- When: In progress
- Status: Ongoing
Support and funding for Wyre Citizens Advice who provide support on debt, benefits, employment, family matters, education and housing.
Action Number 6
- Who: Housing
- When: In progress
- Status: Ongoing
Homelessness prevention – provision of help and advice for those homeless or about to lose their homes. Support when faced with repossession or eviction. Emergency housing provision. Advice on finding accommodation in the private and social rented sectors, referrals to support or supported accommodation, health services and benefits advice.
Action Number 7
- Who: Housing /Active Lives and Communities Team /Communications Team
- When: October 22
- Status: Completed
Creation of a Cost of Living page on our website
Action Number 8
- Who: Active Lives and Communities Team
- When: Christmas, Easter and Summer holidays
- Status: Ongoing
Provision of a Holiday Activities and Food Programme (HAF) across Wyre. Providing free holiday food and activities for children on free school meals across Wyre.
Action Number 9
- Who: Active Lives and Communities Team
- When: In progress
- Status: Ongoing
Delivery of the Play and Skills at Teatime Activities (PaSTA) programme - after school clubs providing targeted families with budgeting, healthier eating options and physical activity.
Action Number 10
- Who: Corporate Systems Team
- When: October 2024 – March 2025
- Status: Ongoing
Household Support Fund 5 – £417k funding provided by the Government (via LCC) and used to provide financial support for Wyre residents, identified via Localised Council Tax Support (LCTS) records as being on the lowest incomes.
To date funding has been allocated as below:
- A payment of £50 has been issued to 760 disabled pension-age LCTS claimants and a £50 payment has been issued to 2,045 working-age LCTS claimants with dependent children.
- 433 households on LCTS with children starting primary or high school have received support to purchase new school uniforms.
- 9 foodbanks across the borough have been supported.
- £10k funding used to support domestic violence charity.
- Application scheme open to those not automatically awarded a payment.
- Supporting the Affordable Warmth Scheme to help people with sustainable heating and electricity repairs and solutions.
- Supporting those who are unable to find a home or gain a tenancy agreement due to not meeting the criteria for other available grants.
- Supporting the local advice agency, Citizens Advice Bureau.
Action Number 11
- Who: Benefits Assessment Team
- When: In progress
- Status: Ongoing
Benefits, including LCTS – we continue to offer help, advice and signposting to those of our residents approaching the council regarding entitlement to benefits.
Action Number 15
- Who: Benefits and Council Tax Assessment Team
- When: In progress
- Status: Ongoing
Council tax hardship payments – The council were awarded £1,04m in summer 2022 to pay every working-age LCTS claimant up to £150 (via a credit to their council tax account). Just over £40k of this funding is still available and being used to provide some financial support to help council tax payers experiencing exceptional financial hardship pay their council tax.
Action Number 16
- Who: Benefits and Council Tax Assessment Team
- When: By 31 March 2025
- Status: Ongoing
Discretionary Housing Payments – to date in 2024/25 £45,514 has been awarded to 68 housing benefit / UC claimants struggling to meet their rent payments for their homes. The remaining funding of £94,503 will be spent by 31/03/2025.