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Heating oil support for East Sussex residents

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We have just received the following information from East Sussex County Council.

 

Paul Richards

Locum Parish Clerk

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You may be aware that the Government recently announced targeted support for low-income households that rely on heating oil and are being impacted by the current spike in prices. An additional £53 million of financial support will be allocated across the nations of the UK, accounting for the distribution of households reliant on heating oil across the country.

 

The allocation for East Sussex is £567,211.

This one-off funding will be received in the new financial year as part of the Crisis and Resilience Fund payment, delivered through the 2026/27 Local Government Finance Settlement.

 

Based upon the 2021 census, our Public Health team estimates that just under 13,000 households in East Sussex are solely reliant on heating oil and around 1 in 7 of those households may be on a low income and therefore eligible for financial support.  The vast majority of heating oil users are in Wealden, Lewes and Rother Districts.

 

Heating Oil Support Scheme:

  • As Citizens Advice 1066 are already commissioned to deliver the Warm Home Check on behalf of East Sussex County Council, their contract will be extended to also deliver heating oil payments across the County. Much of the infrastructure is already in place for the existing service, and this will allow heating oil support to be provided to households immediately.
  • Citizens Advice 1066 will check individual eligibility for heating oil support, provide advice to clients of the service and arrange for payment to be made directly to oil suppliers.

 

Application process:

Residents should apply for support with heating oil costs directly to the Warm Home Check service.

Details of the process and online application form can be found here: Help for households using oil heating | East Sussex County Council

Residents can also call the Warm Home Check service on 0800 464 7307 to apply, or if they have queries.

When people apply for support, their circumstances will be assessed and if they are not eligible for this particular support scheme, they will be provided with information, advice or signposting to alternative support that may be available, including some of the following: