Council's £1m fund for cash-strapped residents

More than £1m has been set aside by a Kent council to help residents in times of need.

Medway Council said that its Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF), which launched this year and was agreed on Tuesday, was to support low-income residents facing a sudden income loss, unexpected expenses or matters putting their health, wellbeing or home at risk.

It is also investing in literacy and numeracy courses and boosting free places in the authority's school holiday activity programme, it said.

To assist people using social care services, a fund for more early help and financial resilience projects had been set up with CRF cash, it added.

Later this year, a £500,000 voluntary and community sector grant will also be set up for projects which support CRF objectives.

Medway Council leader Vince Maple said of the £1.1m scheme: "The unfortunate fact is that every single one of us probably knows someone in their life who needs this help - and as long as that is the case we are committed to playing our part to support our residents."

The council added that it had also acquired £1.5m from the warm homes local grant which could be used to improve homes' energy efficiency.

"Medway is working with E.On to provide grants of up to £30,000," it said.

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