Funding to help residents with essential costs has been extended over the winter period.

More than £500,000 has been paid to Bracknell Forest Council to support people in paying their water and fuel bills, as well as buy other essential items and food.

Known as the Household Support Fund, it has been extended for a further six months, beginning today (Tuesday, October 1) and ending in March.

It comes as thousands of pensioners across Bracknell are set to lose out on their winter fuel payments, after being cut by the Labour government.

The additional £555,468 will be used to provide support to low-income households in need, including families with young children, pensioners and disabled people.

The MP for Bracknell Peter Swallow defended cutting the payment of up to £300 to elderly residents last month, arguing that they would still receive support through other means such as the Household Support Fund.

Mr Swallow said that Bracknell Forest Council have ‘boots-on-the-ground knowledge of where this support is needed most’.

Council leader Mary Temperton welcomed the additional funding, saying it was ‘very needed’.

Bracknell’s food bank has seen a sharp increase in demand since the pandemic, and even during ‘historically quiet’ periods such as school holidays.

You can apply for funding through Bracknell Forest Council’s main local welfare scheme, which uses existing assessments of finances.

Alternatively, you can apply for the family cost of living voucher scheme, which is for low-income families not eligible for school distributed vouchers. This is a one-off payment of £105 per child.