The City of Wolverhampton Council has revealed food is still the largest single item by far, which residents ask the council for help with as part of cost of living support.

The council has invested £15 million helping residents over the last few years with the cost of living using the Government’s Household Support Fund (HSF). Another £5.2 million has been allocated by the Government for twelve months from April.

Latest data shows over the last six months, since the current Government extended the HSF funding from October to end of March, just over £300,000 has been used to help residents specifically with food. This is way ahead of the next largest amount distributed on day to day essentials for households, such as bedding and furniture, of just over £200,000.

Essentials linked to energy and water came next at around £60,000 of funding allocated.

Households with children were overwhelmingly the largest group who accessed cost of living support with nearly three quarters of a million households helped in that category.

Leader of the Council, Councillor Stephen Simkins said:

‘We’re as committed as ever to helping our residents cope with the cost of living, which is still stretching household budgets to the limit.

‘Please come and talk to us if you need help. I don’t want anyone to be in dire straits and struggling in silence. We have experts on hand who can work with you to find the best solutions whatever the situation. Just talk to us.’

There is now a Food Alliance in the city where the council is working with a wide range of partners to help people access good food at affordable prices. The community shop network is also continuing to grow with new stores opening soon.

There’s also the council’s Pocket to Plate initiative - sign up now to get the latest weekly recipes from Wolverhampton’s own tiktok sensation Mitch Lane and community chefs Prince and Simon. Just follow @pockettoplate on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.

And another new project City Homemakers is coming soon, which will help people make small improvements to their homes without spending a fortune.

It will encompass a number of ways residents can prevent waste, re-use, recycle and improve their homes even during these difficult financial times.

Residents can find out more about all support available for cost of living on our dedicated web pages www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/cost-of-living-support