The last year has been tough for many residents across Oxfordshire due to the pandemic. Households have been hit financially by redundancies and furlough and have found themselves with a day to day struggle to afford food and manage the costs of fuel bills.
Throughout the year South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils have been providing supporting via government funding to those who have been hit the hardest, and this support is still available.
If any resident is struggling financially the councils are urging them to get in touch, and to do so before they reach crisis point. The Community Hub team are working alongside Citizens advice and Vale Community Impact to offer help in the form of advice, supermarket and fuel vouchers or through the direct payment of energy or water bills.
The support is there for all households: residents needing help do not have to be in receipt of any government benefits and can be given financial support through this funding more than once.
Cllr Maggie Filipova-Rivers, Cabinet member for Community Services at South Oxfordshire District Council said: “We really want to help anyone struggling in our district. It has been such a hard year and if we can help to take the pressure off a resident whether they live alone or have a family. Everything we do is in the strictest of confidence, so I urge anyone that is worried about how they are going to manage over the next few weeks and months to contact us right away.”
Cllr Helen Pighills Cabinet Member for Healthy Communities at Vale of White Horse District Council said: “There will be residents in the Vale who have never had to ask for help before, and in doing so they may feel ashamed. They shouldn’t, the financial support we are able to offer is here for anyone that needs it. None of us have ever been through an experience like this, and none of us could have prepared ourselves for it. We can help to make life that little bit easier if you just pick up the phone or email to get help.”
If anyone does need help they can call the South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse Community Hub on 01235 422600 or email [email protected]
They can also contact
- Citizens Advice – 0808 278 7907 (South Oxfordshire and the Vale)
- Vale Community Impact – 01235 765348 (Vale residents only)
The deadline for accessing financial support from the Covid Support Grant is Friday 18 June.
