Falkirk residents 'cry with relief' after getting help to afford food and fuel

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The scale of poverty in Falkirk district has been laid bare in a report describing how people "started crying" with relief to be helped pay for basics such as food, fuel and winter clothing for children.

Members of Falkirk Council heard this week that recent demand for the council's household support fund has been greater than expected.

It was initially launched to support families struggling to cope financially at the height of the coronavirus pandemic but was relaunched in September as part of a package of measures to tackle the cost of living crisis. Read more: Falkirk show doesn't go on as town hall heating breaks for a second timeApplications have been well up on the first round of the fund, when 1213 households were helped over 13 weeks.

This time round, 1583 households have been supported in just eight weeks.Members heard that the latest funding of £568,263 had been expected to last until March 2023.However, in just September and October, £287,800 had been paid out and the fund is now expected to be fully used by the end of December.Councillors agreed to use another £190,000 of Scottish Government funding to help more people over the winter after hearing about the impact the fund was having.The report quoted officers who had been able to help people in need.