Tandridge District Council launches cost-of-living support fund

Low income households in a part of Surrey can now apply for new support funding.

Residents with low incomes in the Tandridge District Council catchment area can request a grant to help with living costs from 10:00 GMT on Monday.

Eligible households without children can apply for £125 while those with children can request £225.

The council said applications would be processed on a first come, first served basis and would close once all the money has been allocated.

Applicants must be aged 16 or over, live in the Tandridge district and be in financial difficulty and struggling to meet the cost of essential items, the council said.

Those who apply for other grants, such as Surrey County Council’s e-voucher household support fund, are still able to receive the funding from Tandridge.

Unlike the county council’s e-voucher scheme, Tandridge said it would deposit cash into people’s bank accounts to give them greater flexibility over how the money was used.

Tandridge is paying for its new scheme with £150,000 of its budget. The Surrey County Council fund is paid for by the Department for Work and Pensions.

The county council’s scheme, which runs each month, would previously pass the money to local councils to issue to residents.

Now, residents must apply to the county council directly. This funding scheme also opens on Monday.

The leader of the Tandridge District Council, Catherine Sayer, said: “Residents can apply to both Tandridge District Council’s winter support scheme and Surrey County Council’s essential e-voucher scheme, as they are run separately.

“Our support is provided as a cash deposit into a bank account rather than a supermarket e-voucher, giving residents more flexibility in how they use the money.

“The payment levels were set to allow us to support as many residents as possible within a total funding pot of £150,000.”

Through the county council’s scheme, a household without children can apply for a £200 supermarket voucher, while those with children are eligible for a £300 voucher.