Cost of Living

Lib Dems support residents with £4.5m household support fund

Richmond Council has helped hundreds of households to cope with the cost of living crisis thanks to a £4.5m fund that it created and the use of central government’s ‘household support fund’ money. 

4,600 local children who are eligible for free school meals now can look forward confidently to the holidays as the council provides food vouchers to cover holiday times. 

Richmond Council also supplies funding for crisis grants and advice from Citizens Advice and RAID. In the winter over 1,500 households received fuel grants and 900 pensioners received a winter fuel payment. A network of community spaces offers a warm welcome and 1,300 energy saving ‘warm home packs’ have been provided. 

The council is also helping people claim the benefits to which they are entitled – raising over £900k of extra personal income per year. Helping families claim these benefits also unlocks over £900k of extra pupil premium funding for local schools.