Organisations have been invited to apply for a share of a new £350k grant fund created by Westmorland and Furness Council.

The fund will be used to provide money advice services to local communities and will be open to voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise groups.

The “Money Advice Outreach Fund” will provide one-off grants to establish services delivered in local centres and close to the communities who need it most.

Councillor Judith Derbyshire, Cabinet Member for Housing and Homelessness with Westmorland and Furness Council, said: “This grant fund will support the council’s ambition to ensure our area is a great place to live, work and thrive.

"We want to place people at the centre of everything we do, support them to live healthy lives, and reduce inequality."

The council have invited organisations with a track record of providing good quality money advice services to apply for the grant.

This was described as including debt management, budgeting advice, cost of living support, benefits advice, and mortgage and rent advice.

Applicants will also be required to provide clear evidence and information to support their proposal to deliver the service in particular locations and venues, providing a full description on how they intend to reach those who need their service.

Councillor Derbyshire added: "We’re investing a significant amount of funding into the Money Advice Outreach Fund to help alleviate poverty, meet people’s welfare needs, and help people manage and maximise their income.

"We want to make sure nobody is left behind by the cost-of-living crisis and I’m really looking forward to seeing the impact this fund has on local people."

The closing date for applications is 5:00pm on Friday, October 13, 2023.