Low-income households in Cornwall will receive cash support

Households on low incomes in Cornwall will benefit from one-off cash payments to help with the cost of living, Cornwall Council has said.

A total of £4.5m of additional financial support has been secured through the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) Household Support Fund (HSF), the authority said.

The payments will be made by the end of June, he added.

Dr Andy Virr, portfolio holder of practice for adults and public health, said the cost of living continued to “have a huge impact on many families in Cornwall”.

He said: “It is good to see that we have again secured this significant funding to help as many as possible.

“I hope it will ensure that pensioners and especially parents can pay their bills and put food on the table for their families.”

The one-off payments include £80 for pensioners in receipt of Pension Credit and £80 for adults assessed as needing care at home and receiving a financial contribution towards the cost of care from the council.

Families receiving council tax support would receive £80 per child and families living in emergency housing would also receive £80 per child, officials said.

Portfolio holder for children and families, Barbara Ellenbroek, said the council had changed its eligibility criteria for households with children so it was “now linked to whether they receive council tax support rather than free school meals linked of benefits”.

“By better targeting the awards, we are able to help families with children of any age, rather than just school-age children,” she said.

The council said the remaining money would go to partner organisations, including Citizens Advice Cornwall, Disability Cornwall, Cornwall Carers Service and Community Energy Plus.