East Riding of Yorkshire Council Launches Winter Grant Scheme

A discretionary grant scheme to help households struggling in the run-up to Christmas has been launched.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council has launched the scheme to support those most in need with the cost of food, energy and other essentials. 

The Winter Grant Scheme is funded from one-off central Government funding announced on 10 November 2020.  Cash for the scheme has come the Winter Support Grant. It enables local authorities to provide financial support to those most in need this year.

To help ensure fairness of applications and access to the grant across the winter for those who need it, East Riding of Yorkshire Council will implement the Winter Grant Scheme as a discretionary scheme across multiple time periods until the one-off funding has been fully utilised.

Period one of the scheme will cover the period 1 November to 31 December 2020. Applications for period one will need to be received by Sunday, 20 December.

It is expected that the discretionary funding available will not be sufficient to provide support to all residents. As a result, period one will target and prioritise support for households that meet certain criteria.

Councillor Richard Burton, leader of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said:

“This year has been extremely challenging for some of our residents and I am heartened that we have the Winter Grant Scheme available to support those in need.

“Knowing that this grant will make the difference of keeping children warm and well-fed over Christmas, or offering those residents struggling to cope financially the peace of mind that they can manage a difficult winter, is an indicator that East Riding of Yorkshire Council continues to do all it can to support those in need at the end of an unprecedented year.”

The council also has an emergency assistance scheme available to residents who have had an interruption to their income and where they require support to remain in the community.

For more information, criteria of the grants and how to apply, go to https://www.eastriding.gov.uk/living/emergency-assistance/