Grants will soon be available to help eligible people with their everyday living costs as part of an £800,000 pot of funding for Dudley borough.

The council was awarded a total of £5.2million from round four of the government’s household support fund earlier this year, which runs until the end of March 2024.

As in previous rounds, a majority of the money is being distributed through key council services and organisations within the voluntary sector to get help to those they are aware of and who are the most vulnerable.

But once again, the council has set aside a proportion of the money to help eligible people who contact the council directly in need of help. £800,000 will be available over the course of the 12 months.

It has been split into two pots, with £300,000 available in phase one, which launched in April and a further £500,000 available in phase two, which will launch in October. Phase one opened in April but was temporarily paused due to high demand and to allow applications to be processed. It will reopen on Wednesday July 5 at midday.

Demand is expected to be high so people are advised that the application process could close quickly if funds are exhausted.

Grants of £150, plus an additional £25 for people with disabilities, are available in phase one. Further information about phase two will be available in September. People will be able to receive one payment from each phase if they are eligible. Details of eligibility and how to apply are available on the Council's website. Councillor Steve Clark, cabinet member for finance, said: 

"In April we received a high volume of applications for phase one grants, and this is why we had to temporarily pause the process.

"I’m pleased we’re now able to reopen the application process from next Wednesday, but we expect funds to be exhausted quickly. All applications will be assessed and determined based on current circumstances. Applications for phase two will open in October and we will confirm details closer to the time."

In round three of the household (October 2022 to March 2023), the council was awarded £2.6million and set aside £400,000 to provide grants to people who contacted the council in need. More than 2,500 grants were issued.