Following the election in May, the council’s new administration made a commitment to increase targeted cost of living support to residents experiencing financial difficulties.
The 100 days cost of living support initiative was launched by the council in June 2023. The 100 day milestone was on 13 August.
Successful projects
Some of the successful projects included the following.
Help for Households event
15 partner organisations came together in Princess Square to inform local people of the help available to them. The event received positive feedback and we will use this model to help take the council to its residents in the future.
Targeted campaign for council tax support
We identified and contacted households in arrears. This led to:
- 23 households being awarded a council tax reduction
- 3 households receiving exemptions
- additional support through the Local Welfare Scheme
Council tax energy rebate distribution
We reviewed and contacted 299 households who received a council tax energy rebate as credit but were not liable to pay council tax. This resulted in distributing an extra £4,500 of income across these households, with ongoing outreach to others.
Cost of living drop-in sessions
Officers conducted a trial cost of living drop-in session in Great Hollands. We continue to explore venues and networks for future sessions.
Supporting families through schools
We met with headteachers to address financial challenges faced by pupils and shared materials for local and national support.
Household Support Fund and Local Welfare Scheme
Between 1 May and 10 August, £34,263 was distributed to households for essential and crisis support related to:
- food
- energy
- household essentials
Cllr Mary Temperton, leader of Bracknell Forest Council and executive member for council strategy and climate change, said:
“We are committed to supporting our residents and enhancing the quality of life for people struggling. That’s why we wanted to dedicate the first 100-days of the new administration to focus on reaching these people.
“Our teams have worked extremely hard to get in touch with people in need, but we hope that residents can come forward and seek the support that is available too.”
Visit our cost of living support pages.
