The Department for Work and Pensions has provided funding to Lancashire County Council to support those in need who are struggling with rising living costs.

Some of this funding has been given to Lancaster City Council.

We have been asked to support all pensioners in the district who are in receipt of Council Tax Support.

All pensioners, or those who will be of pensionable age by 30^th September 2022, who are in receipt of Council Tax Support will be sent a post office voucher to the value of £90. The accompanying letter will explain what evidence is needed to cash this voucher. It can be cashed at any post office branch.

We have sent out the first batch of letters that should be received on the week commencing 25th July 2022. We aim to have sent out all of the letters by end of August 2022. If you think you are eligible and have not receieved a letter please call 01524 582000 and press option 7 or email hsf@lancaster.gov.uk.

If you have any queries once you have received your letter, please call 01524 582000 and press option 7.

The rest of the money that we have received has been passported to the Lancaster District Food Justice Partnership to support all food banks, clubs, pantries, and community kitchens that are part of this partnership to ensure there is enough food available to help all those who need this additional support.

If you do not meet the eligibility criteria for this scheme, or need further support you can apply for support from the Lancaster District Hardship Fund.

Lancaster City Council has set up the Lancaster District Hardship Fund.

Only 1 application per household will be considered.

This scheme is being run in partnership with North Lancashire Citizens Advice and the Lancaster District Food Justice Partnership.

The aim of this scheme is to provide longer term support to our residents who are struggling financially.

Please note, this scheme may be suspended at any point for new applications depending on demand and availability of appointment slots with Citizens Advice.

How this scheme works

To be eligible for the scheme you need to be:

• Aged 16 or over
• A resident of the Lancaster District
• Experiencing financial hardship and struggling to afford essential items or living costs
• Be willing to engage with Citizens Advice

The application process

• You complete our short application form / or call 01524 582000 and press option 7 for an Advisor to complete the form on your behalf.
• Once completed the council will ring you within three working days to book an initial telephone appointment with an advisor from Citizens Advice.
• You will need to provide at least one month of recent bank statements and proof of any benefits you receive. Please provide these before your appointment. The quickest way to do this is to email the documents to LDHSFsocialwelfare@northlancashirecab.org.uk 

You can also provide your financial information directly to Citizens Advice via their Morecambe office (87-89 Oban House, Queen Street, LA4 5EN), Monday to Friday 9am-5pm, or via Morecambe Town Hall or Lancaster Town Hall Monday to Friday 9am-1pm. 

• As part of the assessment Citizens Advice will:
  • Carry out a debt assessment and benefit check to not only identify debts they can support with but to make sure you are receiving all the income / benefits you are entitled to
  • They will provide you with a draft financial / budgeting statement
  • Put in any requests to the Hardship Fund for short term support
  • Carry out more in-depth follow-up appointments where required

Any support through the Hardship Fund for essential items will be processed after your appointment with Citizens Advice as they will provide their recommendations to the council.

The types of short term support the fund can help with include:

• Utility bills
• Food
• Debts
• Housing costs
• Household appliances
• Other essential items

Can I appeal a decision if my application is unsuccessful? 

As this is a discretionary scheme there is no right of appeal. However, if you think we have overlooked important information then you can ask for us to look at the application again by emailing ldhf@lancaster.gov.uk providing reasons along with your name, address and reference number.

This decision will be final.

Privacy statement

For details on how Lancaster City Council uses your data, see our hardship fund privacy notice .

Apply now

• Apply to the Lancaster District Hardship Fund

This is to support people who were either not eligible as part of the £150 statutory energy rebate scheme or to provide a discretionary top up payment.

• View details of the LCC CTax Energy Rebate Scheme (PDF, 137KB)

All awards will be made by Post Office Vouchers, All letters have started to be sent out with Royal Mail and should have been delivered by the week commencing 19th September 2022. The vouchers can be cashed at any Post Office branch.

Only one top up payment per household will be made

The following eligibility criteria for this scheme have been approved:

• People in Council Tax Bands E-H on Council Tax Support (CTS) = £150
• People in Council Tax Bands A-D on full CTS = £30
• People in Council Tax Bands A-D on some CTS with children under 5 = £30
• Pensioners over 80 on 1^st April 2022 in Bands A-D on some CTS = £30
• People with Severely Mentally Impaired (SMI) marker in Bands A-D = £30
• People with SMI marker in Bands E-H (whether on CTS or not) = £150
• People with Disabled Persons Allowance marker in Bands A-E (due to band reduction) = £30
• People with Disabled Persons Allowance marker in Bands F-H = £150

If you do not meet the eligibility criteria for this scheme, or need further support you can apply to the Lancaster District Hardship Fund.

The government last week announced (21 July) that retail deals and discounts to help families over the summer holidays have been launched as part of the Help for Households Campaign.

These deals have been signed with various businesses, including Asda, Morrisons, Amazon and Vodafone and are designed to reduce costs at the checkout, help provide entertainment and ensure access to necessary services for families during the summer holidays and beyond.

Announcement: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-and-leading-businesses-join-forces-to-help-households-with-cost-of-living

Campaign website: https://costoflivingsupport.campaign.gov.uk/