Support with increased cost of domestic heating oil

We have now received the following information via Lorna Dupré from the County Council about access to the Crisis & Resilience Fund for those experiencing financial shock due to increased prices of domestic heating oil. Applications to the fund will open on Monday 30 March. The link to apply will go live at midday on Monday and will be available to access through the council’s website

Crisis payment | Cambridgeshire County Council. This fund is targeting Cambridgeshire households on low incomes who are reliant on heating oil and who need to top up their tanks as a matter of urgency.

To receive this support, applicants must meet all the following criteria:

Live in Cambridgeshire.
Be reliant on heating oil to heat their home and/or water.
Have 150 litres or less of oil remaining at the time of application.
Be in receipt of or eligible for one of the following means-tested benefits:
- Universal Credit
- Pension Credit
- Income based Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

If funding allows, the council hopes to expand the scheme at a later date to households on incomes just above the threshold for means-tested benefits, or with exceptionally high energy needs.

Eligible households can apply for up to £400 of financial support. The level of financial support awarded may fluctuate with the price of oil. The target for payment to be issued is 48 hours from the time that all required evidence is received. Once the fund is exhausted, the CRF will be used to issue second payments where necessary (residents will first be expected to access income maximisation support from CAB and only those referred back following a financial assessment will be eligible for further payments).

Residents can apply direct to CCF via a link on the council’s website which will go live on Monday 30 March at midday; or may be referred by a referral organisation that has assessed their circumstances and can verify that they need immediate assistance. All applicants will need to provide proof of address, income, and the need to top-up with heating oil.

For residents whose household income is above the level for means-tested benefits, other support is available. The council funds the local CABs to deliver an income maximisation service. Both Rural CAB (covering Hunts, Fenland and East Cambs), and Cambridge and District CAB (covering Cambridge and South Cambs) have expertise around heating and access to other grants and support.

All information and updates to residents can be found on the council’s website Help with utility bills | Cambridgeshire County Council. Any communications received by the Contact Centre are being directed to this webpage. The details of residents who have called or emailed the council so far are being collated and they will be contacted directly when the fund opens.

There will likely be a large number of residents applying into the fund and the outlined 48-hour turnaround for payments will be challenging in the early weeks of the fund, given foreseen high demand. In line with the Crisis and Resilience Fund and Poverty Commission objectives, applicants will receive signposting to other forms of support available to improve resilience against future financial shock.

I hope this information is useful. I will post information on my blog, Facebook Page, and local village groups later today.

Cllr Lorna Dupré

Inglefield, 119 High Street, Sutton, Ely CB6 2NW

07930 337596