Scarborough continues to face the highest levels of demand for cost of living assistance in North Yorkshire.
The highest proportion of applications for support from the council’s local assistance fund have come from Scarborough “in keeping with previous years”, according to newly released data.
North Yorkshire Council’s local assistance fund supports people struggling with living costs and according to the most recent figures, 38 per cent of requests came from the county’s biggest coastal town.
Scarborough is one of the most deprived areas in North Yorkshire with some parts of the town ranking among the most deprived in the country.
The area with the second highest demand was Harrogate while the lowest levels of demand were in Richmondshire which accounted for four per cent of requests.
Between April 1 – June 30 – the second quarter of the financial year – North Yorkshire Council received 3,105 applications for support from the local assistance fund with a 90 per cent rate of approvals.
During that period, the authority spent £386,447 on the fund of which 38 per cent went towards food and energy vouchers, and 62 per cent towards ‘standard’ awards.
The fund helps people struggling with living costs and provides emergency support with essential items but does not issue cash payments, crisis loans, or community care grants.
It provides practical support for vulnerable people who are moving into or seeking to remain within the community and eligible applicants can apply for food and/or utilities vouchers, as well as clothing, beds, and bedding.
During the second quarter, the assistance fund received 234 applications a week and overall there were 324 first-time applicants.
According to a report by Coun Heather Phillips, the executive member for corporate services, the council has seen “no significant change in who we are supporting through the scheme and in which geographical areas”.
Additionally, 231 food parcels were delivered across the Scarborough town area through the council’s ongoing partnership with the Rainbow Centre.
The assistance fund has also supported the Government’s Homes for Ukraine Scheme, with 21 awards going to refugees or host families in the second quarter to “directly support those who have fled Ukraine”.
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