Town Hall View: "My message to anyone struggling is please get in touch with us and there is no shame whatsoever in asking for help."

As a council, we are fully committed to doing all we can to help those affected, especially vulnerable residents such as the elderly. On this subject, I am delighted that we have secured £1.8m of government funding to enable our popular Household Support Fund (HSF) to be extended until March 2025.

The HSF has been a lifeline for thousands of people since being introduced back in 2020, so it is fantastic to have it extended again so that we can help even more residents.

As a result, the popular school holiday meals scheme will run during the October, December and February school holidays. These vital vouchers make such a difference, especially for families who have children at home who are not getting their usual term-time free school meal. We will be contacting those who are eligible with details for the October half-term holiday soon. Meanwhile, our 20 community support hubswill continue to operate.

A brand-new scheme is also set to launch as part of the HSF – Older Adults Winter Support will be delivered in conjunction with Age UK Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, specifically aimed at supporting older residents who are struggling with their bills this winter. We will announce full details shortly.

As I mentioned, we are all affected by the rising cost of living, but for some people the impact on their lives is huge and they may not be able to afford essential items or pay household bills.

My message to anyone struggling is please get in touch with us and there is no shame whatsoever in asking for help.

More information about the Household Support Fund is available at www.peterborough.gov.uk/council/benefits/household-support-fund

Our new fostering service was launched this week and we’re confident it will help us improve outcomes for children and young people. The new ‘Foster with Peterborough’ service is all about bringing our commitment to supporting our children and young people by finding local foster carers who provide safe, loving, and caring homes.

If you’re interested in becoming a foster carer book onto our free virtual session, which takes place on Friday, October 4, from 12.30 – 1.30pm – book at https://app.melearning.co.uk/auth/validate-key?registerKey=DQYNHFXR

The new service gives us a unique opportunity to ensure that every step of the process is tailored to the needs of our children and our local area. This is so much more than just placing children with foster carers—it's about creating a network of support, guidance, and community spirit, where we protect our most vulnerable. For more information about the new service visit www.fosterwithpeterborough.org.uk or call 01733 868686.

We are currently undertaking a review of all residents who receive the 25 per cent single person discount on their council tax to ensure that households who are not eligible for this benefit are paying the full amount.

If this review affects you, please note that we are verifying all accounts currently in receipt of Single Person Discount and where necessary issuing letters to residents, asking for them to confirm their current circumstances. We’ve had a lot of questions on social media about this review and how people can respond to it. There is plenty of information on our website.

Our council leader Cllr Dennis Jones recently took part in our first ‘Ask the Cabinet’ Podcast, which is a new feature giving residents a chance to ask questions about issues affecting their daily lives.

Ask the Cabinet will run monthly with a different cabinet member answering questions each time, I’m already looking forward to my turn! It was a really informative session, and you can listen back here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5h-Jkq9jZEE

If you would like to submit a question for the next ‘Ask the Cabinet’ email [email protected]