Councillor Kevin Dukes, Cabinet Member for Corporate Services with the mobile Community Shop in Elkesley.
Bassetlaw District Council has awarded £65,000 in grants to local organisations to support their work in helping residents deal with the rising cost of living.
The grants focus on addressing the key cost of living issues facing people in the District, which have been identified by the Bassetlaw Financial Inclusion Forum – a group of district-wide community partners, of which the Council is a member.
Councillor Kevin Dukes, Cabinet Member for Corporate Services at Bassetlaw District Council said:
“The rising cost of living is impacting on people and families across Bassetlaw and these grants are part of a package of measures from the Council to help residents across the District. These organisations are providing a range of valuable services through money and debt advice, offering warm and safe spaces, or access to affordable food.
“We will continue to work with our partners such as BCVS and local health services to give residents advice and support, and are launching a hardship fund to provide help with essential items.”
The community groups and charities to receive funding include:
- Bassetlaw Action Centre
£10,000 to introduce a new budgeting advice service to help people manage their finances, reduce overheads and create a personalised budget. - Tenancy Sustainment Service
£2,000 for the provision of 60 Slow Cookers, recipe cards and advice for vulnerable households.
- Bassetlaw Citizens Advice
£6,898 to provide a ‘cost of living’ telephone helpline and advisor to help local people to navigate any additional financial support they may be eligible for, such as welfare benefits, grants or schemes, alongside support in dealing with energy or other debts.
- Christ Church – Worksop
£5,000 to create a ‘Warm Welcome’ during the winter, with access to food and support. Located in a community with high levels of deprivation, the service is open to everybody, irrespective of religion, faith or non-belief.
- Bassetlaw Food Bank
£22,000 to support the provision of a mobile community shop. Its aim is to support Bassetlaw’s rural community in times of hardship and create better access to affordable food.
It will be visiting villages across Bassetlaw on a weekly basis with a range of items including food cupboard staples, fresh produce, and a range of toiletries and cleaning products.
The community shop will also be able to help and assist residents by signposting them to other areas of support such as money and energy advice.
The community shop will initially visit Nether Langwith, Elkesley, Misson, Mattersey Thorpe, Rampton, Tuxford, Misterton, Beckingham and Clarborough.
- Muddy Fork - Retford
£7,500 to increase growing capacity, with food supplied to the Bassetlaw Food Insecurity Network and Food Bank to provide a healthy food option. - Rhubarb Farm – Nether Langwith
£2,968 to provide 21 Community Café lunch sessions for older people. This will provide 525 meals together with support and advice.
- The Well – Retford
£9,000 to provide a ‘Welcome Place’ including money advisors, warm space, food and support. The service is open to all irrespective of religion, faith or non-belief.
The grants are part of a wider package of Council measures that include a 24/7 helpline for Council Tenants, additional tenancy support officers, extra money advice support for residents, the introduction of a hardship scheme, the development of a network of warm spaces across the District, and the promotion of Half Term Food Hubs.
BCVS in conjunction with the Council have also produced a cost of living booklet, detailing the support available in Bassetlaw including Money and Finance, Food, Clothing, Energy and Fuel and more. Copies are available via the BCVS website or from the Council Offices in Worksop, Retford and Harworth.
Last Updated on Friday, November 11, 2022