People who are struggling to pay for energy, water and food may be eligible for help from Devon County Council.

It has been allocated around £5 million from the Government in the latest round of payments to the Household Support Fund.

There are conditions on how the money can be used, but the council is prioritising up to £200,000 to help Devon residents who have prepayment or ‘pay-as-you-go’ meters to meet their rising energy bills.

However, most of the fund will be targeted at families with children and people of pensionable age who are struggling financially.

Cllr Roger Croad, the cabinet member for communities, public health and equality, said: “Rising energy and petrol prices, and rising costs of goods in our shops and on our supermarket shelves at a time when a lot of households have seen reductions in their incomes, means many people in Devon are feeling the pinch.

“For example, prepay customers are often already paying more for their energy and are more likely to be in vulnerable circumstances, and have seen their energy prices rise considerably in recent months.”

The county council is working with Devon’s eight district and city councils and Citizens Advice to develop schemes to make the funding available.

Cllr Croad said: “We will also continue to make our free school meal holiday vouchers available for the May half-term and summer holidays to ensure children and young people who are eligible for benefit-related free school meals don’t go hungry.

“And we are working with our district council colleagues to identify people of pensionable age that we know from local data are struggling financially to offer some additional one-off assistance.”

Janie Moor of Citizens Advice said: “We are extremely worried that the cost of living crisis means that more and more people are struggling to make ends meet. We are campaigning for target support from the Government for those on the lowest incomes. In the meantime, our website has self-help advice, or people can contact their local Citizens Advice.”

Further details on the above funded initiatives will be made available as their development is finalised.