What your council does: Cost of living support

Overview

If you’re struggling with the costs of living, then you’re not alone and support and advice is available.

A lot of hard work has taken place during recent years to support our most vulnerable members of the community.

We do this in several ways including providing emergency support, benefits, speaking to people about what support they may be eligible for, helping community groups such as food banks to directly support residents and looking at schemes which can prevent people from falling into crisis and poverty.

We’ve transformed our services from being a mainly back-office approach when people come to us to one were we actively look to provide support out in the community. We have built solid foundations within the community and with voluntary groups.

Key services provided

As well as council tax and housing benefit support, we and our partners provide a whole range of cost-of-living support.

We’re making sure our services are available to all our residents and have set up new welfare hubs in Bury town hall, and Prestwich and Ramsbottom libraries and will be doing the same in Radcliffe soon. These provide face to face support for:

Crisis and emergencies
Housing Benefits and Council Tax Support
Housing Rents
Maximising people’s income
Help to claim benefits including Personal Independence Payments (PIP)
Support for adult social care bills

We’ve also updated our digital forms making it easier to apply online for those who wish to do so.

Through the Household Support Fund, we provide food and fuel vouchers, holiday free school meals, summer and winter crisis funds, and support to community groups working with vulnerable people such as food banks.

We’re also being proactive developing systems which look at what benefits and support people are getting and what else they may be eligible for such as pension credit

All children in reception, Year 1 and Year 2 get a free meal at lunchtime, under the government's Infant Free School Meals scheme.

From Year 3 onwards families who qualify for a free school meal, but have not applied, are now being automatically enrolled to make sure their child receives nutritious meals.

Service impact

In 2024/25 the council received £3 million from the government’s Household Support Fund for our most vulnerable residents including care leavers, pensioners and residents in crisis. Support provided included

4382 HSF payments to our most vulnerable residents including help with food and fuel
Support for families who receive free school meals during the holidays
Grants to 18 community groups providing support such as warm spaces, skills courses, food banks and food pantries and others
Support for people with replacing white goods
School uniforms

This year we have received £2.7m and as well as the above support we’re working on schemes that provide a helping hand and prevent people reaching that crisis point.

For example, we’re working with community and voluntary groups to provide:

cooking on a budget courses
improving energy affordability
budgeting
debt and welfare rights advice
warm spaces
support to prevent people becoming homeless
employment and skills training
support to our older residents

Partnerships/teamwork

A range of council departments are involved providing support including finance, housing, Bury Adult Learning,

Of course, all this support cannot be provided by the council alone and there are so many partners that we work with.

From national government through the Household Support Fund, working with Department for Work and Pensions and with the NHS to local partners including Bury Voluntary, Community, and Faith Alliance, Bolton and Bury Citizens Advice and Age UK Bury.

There are so many community and voluntary groups that we work with to provide support – just some of these are: Growing Together Radcliffe, Jewel, The Attic Project, Trust House Bury, Borough of Bury Veterans Association, Bury Armed Forces & Veterans Breakfast Club, Friends of Clarence Park, Phoenix Centre, and The Friendship Circle among many.