Lambeth Council: 'please seek out the help we are offering'

The council added half a million pounds to its emergency fund to help residents struggling financially – this includes food vouchers, fuel payments, second-hand furniture, and refurbished electrical goods.

It added an extra £1 million to the budget to support residents struggling to pay housing costs because of COVID-19 and expanded the scope of its Council Tax Support Scheme to help vulnerable people struggling to pay.

Lambeth began giving support grants directly to businesses suffering because of the coronoavirus outbreak from late March.

The grants of either £10,000 or £25,000 are part of a £1.2 million scheme to help struggling businesses and workers.

Voluntary organisations and those helping throughout the outbreak, such as foodbanks, can now use the council's CrowdfundLambeth which can double the amount raised.

Cllr Jack Hopkins, Lambeth Council leader, said: "The lockdown and social distancing measures in place are critical at this time, and I thank the residents of Lambeth for observing these very difficult measures as we work to save lives and protect the NHS.

"We are working incredibly hard as a council to do our part, and ramp up support for local people, some of who are facing very serious impacts on their incomes, their housing situations and their domestic finances.

"In Lambeth, we have a range of services that form our welfare safety net for people in financial difficulty or who are receiving benefits, and we have expanded all of those programmes so that more people can receive the support they need.

"I would ask that anyone who is struggling please contact the council and seek out the help we are offering. We are in the middle of totally unprecedented crisis, but it's important that people realise support is available and make full use of it."

To access help go directly to the council's COVID-19 website www.lambeth.gov.uk/coronavirus-covid-19