With news that energy bills could rise to almost £4,000 this winter and daily news of increases in food and goods, it is no wonder that we are all considering how we will cope with the cost of living over the winter months.

We know it is a time of great concern for many people and we are doing everything we can to provide support for you.

We have created a bank of information on what we, and our partners, can do to help. This includes both the financial and practical support that is available and where you need to go to access it.

It is very important that you get help sooner rather than later, problems can quickly spiral and there may be a solution available that you have not considered.

If you are earning a low income, you may be able to get a reduction of up to 85 per cent in the amount of Council Tax you need to pay with our Council Tax Reduction Scheme. We are also writing to households that are eligible for our Household Support Fund to offer free school meals during the summer holidays and a £90 one off payment to householders of state pension age. If this is you, we will be in touch shortly.

Alongside the £150 Council Tax Energy Rebate being paid out, other support is available to help with energy costs. If you are in debt, there are grants on offer that the Citizens Advice can help you to access. You can also get Energy Efficiency Improvements if your joint income is less than £30,000. You can find these details on our Support Directory and details on how to apply to Lendology, who run this scheme.

Finding money to balance paying bills, when you may need to buy school uniforms, or pay for petrol and shopping is difficult. That is why we have information on how to meet housing rent payments, as well as the benefits and discounts available to help you keep the cost of running your home as low as possible. You might have considered downsizing to a smaller home to save heating bills now that your family have grown and you no longer need the extra space. Perhaps you would like to get a grant to make your home more efficient and cost-effective. We can step in and help to support you with these if you meet the criteria for the funding available. As with all things, there is not a bottomless supply of money available to help unfortunately. We wish there was!

You can find our Support Directory here: www.southhams.gov.uk/support-directory Please use it to see if we can help in anyway. If we cannot, then we have many signposts to our partners who can also support you. As costs continue to mount , just as we did during the pandemic, it is important that we all look out for one another. Please do let your friends and neighbours know about the support directory.

For now, let us enjoy the warm weather and take advantage of our beautiful beaches, parks and moorland, there is plenty to do in the South Hams without having to spend too much money.