New data shows that 40 percent of grants awarded from North Yorkshire's Local Assistance Fund in the last 9 months have been issued to households in the Scarborough Borough.
The fund supports vulnerable adults to move into or remain in the community, and to help families under great pressure to stay together.
No cash payments are made, instead awards are made in-kind, for example, by supplying household goods and basic necessities.
The county council says that between October and December the North Yorkshire Local Assistance Fund issued £439,000 worth of grants to help with things like emergency support for food and heating with 40% of the grants awarded to people in the Scarborough Borough.
Data for April to December 2022, shows that the North Yorkshire Local Assistance Fund (NYLAF) has received 9,263 applications, and approved 8,486 (92%) of these. Roughly 60% of spend is going towards standard items awarded and 40% on emergency food / energy vouchers.
The biggest cost to the scheme is white goods and the biggest spend within this category is on bedding and beds but food and energy awards this year are definitely still the most requested awards. Every award item except for cash awards, has increased.
Demand is highest in Scarborough, followed by Harrogate and Richmondshire. Figures show that about 40% of awards go to individuals and households in Scarborough.
The council says that this financial year around 44% of awards have gone to those under the three core vulnerability groups: those with mental health issue, those homeless and families under exceptional pressure.
The total NYLAF grant spend between April and December 2022 has been £1,073k, with £439k between October and December that's nearly double the demand and spend that it had 12 months ago.
North Yorkshire County Council's executive member for Corporate Services - Councillor David Chance - says the demand for support has increased significantly.
During the same period over 38,000 households in North Yorkshire also received cost of living support from the Government's Household Support Fund.
North Yorkshire County Council’s received it's third £3.5million allocation of Household Support Fund at the back end of last year. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) funded programme aims to support those most in need with significantly rising living costs between October 2022
and March 2023. In line with the expenditure guidelines and the agreed eligibility framework developed in partnership with the seven District and Borough Councils, around 24,000 households across North Yorkshire received a direct award in the form of a shopping voucher in January 2023.
This included eligible families, pensioners and working age adult households, as well as those who missed out on other forms of national Cost of Living support.
North Yorkshire County Council's executive member for Corporate Services - Councillor David Chance - says that the council itself is also feeling the effects of the cost of living crisis with added demand for council services and increasing costs, continuing to put some of it's services under pressure.
The county council says that Household Support Fund will continue from 1 April 2023 for a further 12 months and that they are currently awaiting guidance from DWP on the fourth phase of the scheme.
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