North Tyneside residents offered vital support with cost-of-living pressures

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com 
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Visit Shots! now
A number of cost-of-living support measures continue to be on offer in North Tyneside to support those who need it most.

Thanks to the Government’s announcement of additional funding through the Household Support Fund, North Tyneside Council is planning further support for vulnerable residents.

In recent years, support has been tailored to target specific issues impacting residents including food and energy costs. In the last year, funding has been used to provide school unifrom to children, support over 40 warm spaces across the region as well as offer crisis support payments and fund £15 supermarket vouchers for children on free school meals.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad
North Tyneside Council

During the summer, alongside addressing the pressure of school holidays through supermarket vouchers and applications for funding for new school uniform, the Council turned its attention to changes to Winter Fuel Payment eligibility.

It quickly targeted its focus towards ensuring that pensioners in North Tyneside who were eligible for pension credit and winter payments were claiming it.

A joint approach was created with Age UK North Tyneside and Citizens Advice North Tyneside to offer free benefit entitlement checks. Around 400 residents accessed support and applied for benefits or other support. If all of these claims are successful, that could be around £880,000 in the pockets of residents thanks to the campaign.

In September the Government announced that North Tyneside would receive a further £1.6 million in Household Support Fund to spend by April 2025.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The Council recognised that further support will be required for pensioners who are on a low income and claiming Council Tax Support and or Housing Benefit but are not eligible for Pension Credit.

In December and January, PayPoint vouchers worth between £150 and £200 will be targeted to help those residents with their winter fuel costs.

Existing support will continue, with additional funding allocated to boosting crisis funding, supporting vulnerable families to access winter clothing for children and continuing supermarket voucher provision to those on means tested free school meals.

The popular Warm Welcome scheme will return during Winter, with £20,000 allocated to support community and voluntary sector organisations to open and run the hubs.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Cllr Karen Clark, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing at North Tyneside Council, said: “The increased cost of living continues to impact our residents every day It isn’t something that has gone away and we know that for many, the extra support we offer is often a vital lifeline.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s winter or summer, we know that households need support all year round and that’s why we tailor our support to make sure it’s impactful.

“We know that hundreds of residents have benefited from support this year, whether that be monetary vouchers or accessing support in the community. With this latest round of funding from the Government, we are able to extend that further.”

More information about The Household Support Fund is available on the Council’s website.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.

Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice