New help for Shropshire residents facing cost-of-living pressures

The Government has awarded the council £3.67 million per year for three years from the new Crisis and Resilience Fund. The fund is designed to help people who are struggling with essential living costs or experiencing a sudden drop in income, but support is not limited to those receiving benefits. A further £758,558 of additional funding has been made available to support rural households that rely on heating oil.

Help is available for a wide range of essential costs, including food, water, housing costs, energy bills (including heating oil and other fuels), clothing, school uniforms, household items such as beds and appliances, hygiene products, transport costs, and digital essentials like broadband or phone bills. Support is open to families with children, pensioners, unpaid carers, care leavers, disabled residents, single‑person households and those facing one-off financial shocks.

Council Leader Heather Kidd said: “We know that many households across Shropshire are really feeling the strain, and our priority is to make sure no one is left to face these challenges alone. This funding allows us to provide practical support to people when they need it most, and we are committed to working with our community partners to ensure help is easy to access and reaches those who need it.”

Shropshire Council will continue to provide free school meal holiday vouchers over Easter and May half‑term in 2026, although national rules mean wider mass voucher schemes – such as school holiday vouchers - cannot be delivered under the new fund.

Working with voluntary and community partners, the council is expanding access to budgeting help, benefits advice, and practical assistance to increase income. Additional programmes include financial skills sessions in libraries, support for victims of economic abuse, energy‑efficiency advice, and the extension of the county’s Warm Welcome scheme, which provides community spaces to meet and reduce isolation.

Residents can also access help through the council’s community and family hubs, which offer a range of services including early help for families, housing advice, domestic abuse support and much more. Shropshire Local teams will continue to provide support in areas where face‑to‑face access is more difficult.

Residents can apply or find out more at shropshire.gov.uk, by calling 0345 678 9078, or by visiting a Shropshire Local site in person. Anyone with an application already in progress before 1 April 2026 does not need to reapply.