A budget of £449,000 has been approved to help South Cambridgeshire residents through the next two years of cost-of-living financial pressures.
The 2026-2028 cost of living plan was agreed by the District Council at its latest Cabinet meeting.
The plan focuses on supporting vulnerable households by expanding access to emergency food and energy support, building financial resilience by delivering workshops on budgeting and debt advice and continuing community partnerships to provide coordinated support.
Each year the key measures will include:
- £28,000 for laptops and digital training for young people and older residents to reduce digital exclusion.
- £50,000 for Community Hubs, warm places run by trained volunteers that serve the needs of the local community.
- £18,000 to continue to provide emergency food parcels to those in need to the door.
- £30,000 for an essential white good and furniture scheme for vulnerable people moving into homes to address furniture poverty.
- £50,000 for to continue the mobile food hub providing affordable healthy food in rural communities – with the potential to expand reach.
- £20,000 for dehumidifier and /or air drier provision to help relieve damp and mould for low income and vulnerable households
- £5,000 for grants to set up village pantries to increase access to affordable food in rural communities.
Cllr Henry Batchelor, Lead Cabinet Member for Communities for South Cambridgeshire District Council, said: “We declared a cost-of-living crisis in 2022 and have been helping local people with a range of measures ever since. Our cost-of-living budget is discretionary, not statutory, and we have chosen to provide this extra support because we believe it is the right thing to do for our residents who are most in need. With cost-of-living pressures continuing, it’s vital to maintain the momentum and keep delivering practical solutions. This strategy therefore is about practical, long-term support that strengthens our communities and ensures no one is left behind. Although South Cambridgeshire is regarded as a comparatively affluent area, there are significant pockets of deprivation, and we have reflected on how we can continue to strike a balance between filling immediate gaps in crisis provision whilst also looking for investment that could lead to longer lasting positive impact.”
The approved cost-of-living two-year funding is in addition to a significant level of support across a range of service areas through the Council’s business-as-usual activity.
This includes an innovative IT tool called the Low-Income Family Tracker (LIFT) to identify residents who are eligible for benefits but not currently claiming them. LIFT was developed as part of the Council's previous cost-of-living work, and its success means it will continue to reach those most in need.
Through LIFT, the Council has helped secure nearly 1,000 additional benefit claims for residents who were previously unaware of their entitlement. These claims are worth over £500,000 in the first year alone, with an estimated lifetime value of nearly £4 million based on average claim lengths. Alongside families now receiving free school meals, this includes:
- 113 households now receiving Pension Credit
- 65 households now receiving Healthy Start
- 480 households receiving a payment from the Household Support Fund
- 69 households now on a reduced water tariff