Council’s Cabinet to discuss discretionary grant funding proposals
Poster information
Posted on: Wednesday 07 September 2022
Bridgend County Borough Council’s Cabinet Members will meet next week to discuss proposals on how funding will be allocated to support those most impacted by the cost-of-living crisis.
The authority has been allocated just over £1.2m from Welsh Government to provide financial support to households to help ease the burden of the current cost-of-living.
The council will decide on the details of its discretionary support fund, which will be allocated to all eligible households.
In a report that will be presented at a meeting of the council’s cabinet next Tuesday 13 September, it will be decided how the funding will be distributed amongst specific target households, who have been identified as in most need of financial support.
Those groups will include households in receipt of a council tax disabled band reduction and those receiving an exemption for a severe mental impairment, people providing or receiving care for someone, care leavers, under 18s living alone and full-time students.
Households in council tax bands E and F that are not in receipt of council tax reduction will also receive support.
A one-off payment of £50 is also being proposed for those individuals and families living in temporary accommodation, along with a £50 voucher to each individual child in receipt of free school meals.
The proposed discretionary scheme is aimed at those households deemed at greatest risk of experiencing poverty during the cost-of-living crisis.
The scheme will not affect any of the other benefits eligible households currently receive or current council tax payments being made.
Most of the discretionary support monies will be allocated to households automatically by direct payments, with the remainder of households receiving a letter or email to request bank details for payment to be made.
For eligible households, as at the 1 August 2022, direct payments are expected to be made from the 1 October 2022, when the proposed scheme is due to start. The scheme is expected to run until 31 March 2023.
The council is urging residents not to contact them by telephone or email until the scheme has been approved following next week’s Cabinet meeting.
Further details on the scheme, including a dedicated webpage with a frequently asked questions (FAQs) section will be available on the council’s website following the Cabinet decision next week.
If you need to get in touch with the council once the scheme has been launched, please email: col@bridgend.gov.uk or call 01656 643643.