Dorset Council says it is moving rapidly to help local people with the cost of living crisis.

It includes an £877,000 discretionary fund which will soon be open for applications.

Councillors were told on Tuesday that a special web page has been set up with advice and information and signposting to services for help with money problems, food, housing and mental health.

Executive Director for Corporate Development, Aidan Dunn says the lessons learnt from Covid and the Ukraine response have resulted in bringing together a network of officers and representatives from the community and voluntary sector to coordinate a response to the cost of living crisis using the Dorset Together model of network support.

Other issues which the council may be able to help with include direct financial aid; access to housing services and the payment of energy rebates – with £15.85m distributed in Dorset by the end of August.

The thousands of households who have still not claimed will have the £150 Council Tax Energy Rebate paid directly onto their Council Tax account by 30 September.

The council is also administering the government's Household Support Fund to help households with children, adults of pensionable age and other households in need of assistance, including those with disabilities. This will provide support with energy and food costs and is currently open for applications until 30 September. This fund has committed to just over £2.2M for the 6-month period from April to September 2022 with further funding available for the next 6 months.

Councillors were also told that the authority is promoting the uptake of free school meals and Healthy Start vouchers and has used funding from the government to provide school meal vouchers in the holidays in addition to delivering the Summer in Dorset Programme of holiday and food activities to low-income families as well as a range of free activities for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Tuesday's Cabinet meeting also heard that the authority is working with Citizen's Advice and Age UK to offer help and advice and ensure people are getting the support they need.

The information was given in response to a question from Portland Labour councillor Paul Kimber about the level of support on offer in Dorset.

He said that the county, with a high percentage of older people, was likely to suffer this winter if nothing was done with family energy bills forecast to average £3600 this Autumn and then rise to £4200 in January 2023.

Cllr Kimber said the latest 2021 census results for Dorset show 112,300 people aged 65, representing 29.6% of the population, compared to 24.6% in 2011.

"Nationally the figure is 16.4%. If no action is taken to support Dorset's ever-growing elderly population our social services will be put under even more pressure," warned Cllr Kimber.