—
To Lindsey Baker
Clerk
Wedmore Parish Council
Tel. 01934 713087
——– Original Message ——–
Subject: FW: [OFFICIAL] – P—
Lindsey Baker
Clerk
Wedmore Parish Council
Tel. 01934 713087
——– Original Message ——–
Subject: FW: [OFFICIAL] – Press release – Support to mitigate impact of
Cost of Living crisis this winter
Date: 2022-10-19 12:34
From: Claire Faun <Press.Office@Sedgemoor.gov.uk
To:
Press release
For immediate release
Support to mitigate the impact of the Cost of Living crisis this winter.
Somerset County Council’s Executive today (Wednesday, 19 October) approved a wide-ranging package of support to help Somerset people deal with the impacts of the Cost of Living crisis this winter.
Support includes financial assistance with food and energy bills through the Household Support Fund, a ‘Warm Welcome’ network of venues where people can find warmth and company, as well as targeted support for clinically vulnerable people in cold homes.
Somerset County Council declared a Cost of Living emergency in July of this year, and set up a cross-party working group to investigate the action the Council can take to help people through this period.
That group has worked closely with Mendip District Council, Sedgemoor District Council, South Somerset District Council and Somerset West and Taunton Council, as well as partners in the voluntary and community sector, to put in place initiatives to bolster the support package provided by the central Government.
Councillor Federica Smith-Roberts, Somerset County Council Executive Lead Member for Communities, said: “Somerset County Council declared a Cost of Living emergency because we recognised that extra support would be needed over the months ahead. Winter is never easy, especially in a rural area like Somerset, and the current economic climate has made the situation tougher.
“Working with partners, we have been able to make sure there will be a wide range of support available that complements the package of support from the Government. We aim to make sure people in Somerset do not find themselves in a position where they must choose between heating and eating.”
Somerset residents struggling to pay the bills this winter could be eligible for support through the Household Support Fund.
The County Council has been allocated £3.8m to distribute before March 31st 2023 as part of the third round of funding provided through the Government’s Household Support Fund.
This funding will be used to provide food vouchers worth £10 a week to children eligible for Free School Meals during the school holidays, and enable people to apply for support with a range of urgent essentials including fuel, food, and white goods.
Somerset County Council has contributed a total of £250,000 to Somerset Community Foundation’s Cost of Living Crisis Appeal [1] fund which will be used to support food resilience, energy projects and the ‘Warm Welcome’ network. Somerset West and Taunton Council, Sedgemoor District Council, South Somerset District Council and Mendip District Council have also contributed £50,000 each to the SCF Cost of Living Crisis Appeal.
The Warm Welcome initiative is a network of venues that will offer an inviting place for people to keep warm. These venues will offer optional activities, or a place to get some work or homework done, or even just see a friendly face for a chat.
Spark Somerset is being funded to develop the programme and build a framework, identify appropriate spaces and coordinate the project moving forward. Somerset Libraries will be open as usual to offer a warm and welcoming space to all. Once all of the warm spaces have been confirmed, a public map will be made available.
Spark Somerset will also be supporting food resilience in the county as part of this work, meanwhile, a map of all food banks, pantries, and food cupboards in Somerset is being developed which will be made publicly available.
Other support this winter includes the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE) Safe and Warm Somerset helpline, which supports people who are clinically vulnerable and struggling to afford their energy bills and living in a cold home.
A total of £314,000 has been provided from Somerset County Council’s Clinically Extremely Vulnerable (CEV) Grant which means that in addition to the delivery of their standard offer, CSE will also take on targeted outreach to clinically vulnerable people in cold homes and help arrange the installation of insulation and heating measures to improve the energy efficiency of low income or low EPC-rated homes.
The Council is using an additional £65,000 from the CEV grant to fund Open Mental Health [2] to provide targeted face-to-face help at home for approximately 500 older adults in need of mental health support.
To make an application to the Household Support Fund, please visit: bit.ly/SupportFund22 [3]. If you need help applying, please phone Somerset County Council on 0300 123 2224. People who applied to previous rounds of the Household Support Fund are welcome to apply again in this round of funding.
To donate to the Somerset Cost-of-Living Crisis Appeal today visit:
Somerset Cost-of-Living Crisis Appeal – Somerset Community Foundation
(somersetcf.org.uk) [1] or call 01749 344949.
For more information about support available for Somerset residents, please click here: Additional household support for Somerset residents. [4]
ENDS
For more information, please contact the Press Office on 01823 355020 or
email pressoffice@somerset.gov.uk.
Notes to editors
To view all our news releases, please visit www.somersetnewsroom.com [5]
The SCC Communications Team are also on social media:
www.twitter.com/somersetcounci
www.facebook.com/somersetcount
www.instagram.com/somersetcoun
www.linkedin.com/company/somer
www.nextdoor.co.uk/pages/somer
www.tiktok.com/@somersetcounci
www.youtube.com/c/SomersetCoun
To find out who the elected Somerset County Councillor is for a
particular area, simply visit www.writetothem.com [13]
Somerset County Council County Hall, Taunton, Somerset, TA1 4DY
Somerset County Council uses Microsoft Office 365 Message Encryption to
protect emails. Learn more here:
https://www.somerset.gov.uk/ou
This email and any attachments are intended solely for the individual to
whom it is addressed. It may contain personal and / or sensitive
material and should be handled according to the principles of the
current Data Protection legislation. If this email carries a protective
marking of OFFICIAL – PERSONAL DATA, OFFICIAL – COMMERCIAL DATA or
OFFICIAL – SENSITIVE in the header it should be handled according to the
embedded handling instructions, if not protectively marked it can be
regarded as OFFICIAL – UNCLASSIFIED.
If this Email has been misdirected, please notify the author
immediately. If you are not the intended recipient you must not
disclose, distribute, copy, print or rely on any of the information
contained in it or attached, and all copies must be deleted immediately.
Whilst we take reasonable steps to try to identify any software viruses,
any attachments to this email may nevertheless contain viruses that our
anti-virus software has failed to identify. You should therefore carry
out your own anti-virus checks before opening any documents. Somerset
County Council will not accept any liability for damage caused by
computer viruses emanating from any attachment or other document
supplied with this email.
All email traffic may be subject to recording and/or monitoring in
accordance with relevant legislation.
Somerset County Council. [14]
————————-
Follow Sedgemoor District Council on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/#!/Sedgemoo
We aim to always comply with the General Data Protection Regulation; If
you would like to know how we process your personal information, please
refer to the Privacy Notice at: https://www.sedgemoor.gov.uk/p
Disclaimer:
Views:
The views expressed in this electronic communication are those of the
writer and not, unless otherwise stated, the views of Sedgemoor District
Council.
Confidentiality:
The addressee(s) of this electronic communication shall treat its
content in confidence and take all reasonable steps to ensure it is not
accessed or made available to any third party. Sedgemoor District
Council will not be liable for any unauthorised access to the contents
during transit or whilst stored on electronic media outside of its
direct control.
Viruses:
Sedgemoor District Council take all reasonable steps to ensure that this
communication and any attachments are virus free, however, the Council
cannot accept liability in respect of any complaint arising as a result
of this message or its attachments.
This email has been scanned for viruses and malware and may have been
automatically archived by Mimecast, a service provided by Claranet [15].
Links:
——
[1]
https://www.somersetcf.org.uk/
[2] https://openmentalhealth.org.u
[3] https://scc.aurigaapp.org/logi
[4]
https://www.somerset.gov.uk/so
[5]
https://eur01.safelinks.protec
[6] http://www.twitter.com/somerse
[7] http://www.facebook.com/somers
[8] http://www.instagram.com/somer
[9] https://www.linkedin.com/compa
[10] http://www.nextdoor.co.uk/page
[11] https://www.tiktok.com/@somers
[12] http://www.youtube.com/c/Somer
[13]
https://eur01.safelinks.protec
[14] http://www.somerset.gov.uk
[15] https://www.claranet.co.uk/
Date: 2022-10-19 12:34
From: Claire Faun <Press.Office@Sedgemoor.gov.uk
To:
Press release
For immediate release
Support to mitigate impact of Cost of Living crisis this winter
Somerset County Council’s Executive today (Wednesday, 19 October)
approved a wide-ranging package of support to help Somerset people deal
with the impacts of the Cost of Living crisis this winter.
Support includes financial assistance with food and energy bills through
the Household Support Fund, a ‘Warm Welcome’ network of venues where
people can find warmth and company, as well as targeted support for
clinically vulnerable people in cold homes.
Somerset County Council declared a Cost of Living emergency in July of
this year, and set-up a cross-party working group to investigate action
the Council can take to help people through this period.
That group has worked closely with Mendip District Council, Sedgemoor
District Council, South Somerset District Council and Somerset West and
Taunton Council, as well as partners in the voluntary and community
sector, to put in place initiatives to bolster the support package
provided by central Government.
Councillor Federica Smith-Roberts, Somerset County Council Executive
Lead Member for Communities, said: “Somerset County Council declared a
Cost of Living emergency because we recognised that extra support would
be needed over the months ahead. Winter is never easy, especially in a
rural area like Somerset, and the current economic climate has made the
situation tougher.
“Working with partners, we have been able to make sure there will be a
wide range of support available that complements the package of support
from the Government. We aim to make sure people in Somerset do not find
themselves in a position where they must choose between heating and
eating.”
Somerset residents struggling to pay the bills this winter could be
eligible for support through the Household Support Fund.
The County Council has been allocated £3.8m to distribute before March
31st 2023 as part of the third round of funding provided through the
Government’s Household Support Fund.
This funding will be used to provide food vouchers worth £10 a week to
children eligible for Free School Meals during the school holidays, and
enable people to apply for support with a range of urgent essentials
including fuel, food, and white goods.
Somerset County Council has contributed a total of £250,000 to Somerset
Community Foundation’s Cost of Living Crisis Appeal [1] fund which will
be used to support food resilience, energy projects and the ‘Warm
Welcome’ network. Somerset West and Taunton Council, Sedgemoor District
Council, South Somerset District Council and Mendip District Council
have also contributed £50,000 each to the SCF Cost of Living Crisis
Appeal.
The Warm Welcome initiative is a network of venues that will offer an
inviting place for people to keep warm. These venues will offer optional
activities, or a place to get some work or homework done, or even just
see a friendly face for a chat.
Spark Somerset is being funded to develop the programme and build a
framework, identify appropriate spaces and coordinate the project
moving forward. Somerset Libraries will be open as usual to offer a warm
and welcoming space to all. Once all of the warm spaces have been
confirmed, a public map will be made available.
Spark Somerset will also be supporting food resilience in the county as
part of this work, meanwhile a map of all food banks, pantries, and food
cupboards in Somerset are being developed which will be made publicly
available.
Other support this winter includes the Centre for Sustainable Energy
(CSE) Safe and Warm Somerset helpline, which supports people who are
clinically vulnerable and struggling to afford their energy bills and
living in a cold home.
A total of £314,000 has been provided by Somerset County Council’s
Clinically Extremely Vulnerable (CEV) Grant which means that in addition
to delivery of their standard offer, CSE will also take on targeted
outreach to clinically vulnerable people in cold homes and help arrange
the installation of insulation and heating measures to improve the
energy efficiency of low income or low EPC-rated homes.
The Council is using an additional £65,000 from the CEV grant to fund
Open Mental Health [2] to provide targeted face-to-face help at home for
approximately 500 older adults in need of mental health support.
To make an application to the Household Support Fund, please visit:
bit.ly/SupportFund22 [3]. If you need help to apply, please phone
Somerset County Council on 0300 123 2224. People who applied to previous
rounds of the Household Support Fund are welcome to apply again in this
round of funding.
To donate to the Somerset Cost-of-Living Crisis Appeal today visit:
Somerset Cost-of-Living Crisis Appeal – Somerset Community Foundation
(somersetcf.org.uk) [1] or call 01749 344949.
For more information about support available for Somerset residents,
please click here: Additional household support for Somerset residents.
[4]
ENDS
For more information, please contact the Press Office on 01823 355020 or
email pressoffice@somerset.gov.uk.
Notes to editors
To view all our news releases, please visit www.somersetnewsroom.com [5]
The SCC Communications Team are also on social media:
www.twitter.com/somersetcounci
www.facebook.com/somersetcount
www.instagram.com/somersetcoun
www.linkedin.com/company/somer
www.nextdoor.co.uk/pages/somer
www.tiktok.com/@somersetcounci
www.youtube.com/c/SomersetCoun
To find out who the elected Somerset County Councillor is for a
particular area, simply visit www.writetothem.com [13]
Somerset County Council County Hall, Taunton, Somerset, TA1 4DY
Somerset County Council uses Microsoft Office 365 Message Encryption to
protect emails. Learn more here:
https://www.somerset.gov.uk/ou
This email and any attachments are intended solely for the individual to
whom it is addressed. It may contain personal and / or sensitive
material and should be handled according to the principles of the
current Data Protection legislation. If this email carries a protective
marking of OFFICIAL – PERSONAL DATA, OFFICIAL – COMMERCIAL DATA or
OFFICIAL – SENSITIVE in the header it should be handled according to the
embedded handling instructions, if not protectively marked it can be
regarded as OFFICIAL – UNCLASSIFIED.
If this Email has been misdirected, please notify the author
immediately. If you are not the intended recipient you must not
disclose, distribute, copy, print or rely on any of the information
contained in it or attached, and all copies must be deleted immediately.
Whilst we take reasonable steps to try to identify any software viruses,
any attachments to this email may nevertheless contain viruses which our
anti-virus software has failed to identify. You should therefore carry
out your own anti-virus checks before opening any documents. Somerset
County Council will not accept any liability for damage caused by
computer viruses emanating from any attachment or other document
supplied with this email.
All email traffic may be subject to recording and / or monitoring in
accordance with relevant legislation.
Somerset County Council. [14]
————————-
Follow Sedgemoor District Council on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/#!/Sedgemoo
We aim to always comply with the General Data Protection Regulation; If
you would like to know how we process your personal information, please
refer to the Privacy Notice at: https://www.sedgemoor.gov.uk/p
Disclaimer:
Views:
The views expressed in this electronic communication are those of the
writer and not, unless otherwise stated, the views of Sedgemoor District
Council.
Confidentiality:
The addressee(s) of this electronic communication shall treat its
content in confidence and take all reasonable steps to ensure it is not
accessed or made available to any third party. Sedgemoor District
Council will not be liable for any unauthorised access to the contents
during transit or whilst stored on electronic media outside of its
direct control.
Viruses:
Sedgemoor District Council take all reasonable steps to ensure that this
communication and any attachments are virus free, however, the Council
cannot accept liability in respect of any complaint arising as a result
of this message or its attachments.
This email has been scanned for viruses and malware and may have been
automatically archived by Mimecast, a service provided by Claranet [15].
Links:
——
[1]
https://www.somersetcf.org.uk/
[2] https://openmentalhealth.org.u
[3] https://scc.aurigaapp.org/logi
[4]
https://www.somerset.gov.uk/so
[5]
https://eur01.safelinks.protec
[6] http://www.twitter.com/somerse
[7] http://www.facebook.com/somers
[8] http://www.instagram.com/somer
[9] https://www.linkedin.com/compa
[10] http://www.nextdoor.co.uk/page
[11] https://www.tiktok.com/@somers
[12] http://www.youtube.com/c/Somer
[13]
https://eur01.safelinks.protec
[14] http://www.somerset.gov.uk
[15] https://www.claranet.co.uk/