New funding set to boost support for residents facing financial pressures 

Residents across West Northamptonshire could soon receive quicker and more coordinated help with financial difficulties, as West Northamptonshire Council’s (WNC) Cabinet considers plans for delivering the Government’s new Community Resilience Fund (CRF) on 10 March.

The national three-year fund aims to ensure people can access fast crisis support, stable housing assistance and longer-term advice to improve financial confidence and resilience. The fund aims to ensure people can access fast crisis support, stable housing assistance and longer term advice to improve financial confidence and resilience.  

With the Household Support Fund and Discretionary Housing Payments ending in March 2026, the CRF will become the new national mechanism for providing crisis assistance. Its remit differs from previous schemes, focusing on both immediate support in genuine emergencies and early help aimed at reducing repeated financial pressures. Councils must deliver the CRF through four nationally defined areas:  

• Crisis support for help with sudden or unexpected emergencies  
• Housing related support to prevent homelessness 
• Resilience services including financial advice, debt support, benefits checks and budgeting guidance 
• Community coordination to improve local networks so residents can easily find support  

The fund is ringfenced by Government, with West Northamptonshire expected to receive around £4.65 million per year.  

WNC plans to build on the approach used during the Household Support Fund, which provided thousands of residents with food, energy, household support and income advice. Between 2022 and 2025, WNC and partners:  

• Supported 298,949 households, distributing £7.13m in assistance 
• Invested £5.6m in voluntary and community sector services 
• Welcomed 110,000+ visits to local Welcoming Spaces 
• Helped residents gain £387k in additional income and wrote off £1.16m in fuel debt  

The CRF would help expand this work, offering earlier support, financial guidance and help through trusted community venues such as libraries, community larders, Welcoming Spaces and wellbeing roadshows.  

We know that financial pressures can quickly place households at risk of housing insecurity or homelessness, so it’s vital that support is both timely and joined up. The Community Resilience Fund will help us strengthen the link between crisis assistance, housing support and longer-term financial advice, ensuring residents don’t just get help in an emergency but are supported to build stability and confidence for the future. 
By working closely with our voluntary and community sector partners, we can make sure residents across West Northamptonshire are able to access the right help, in the right place, at the right time.Cllr Charlie Hastie, Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities at West Northamptonshire Council

The Community Resilience Fund gives us a real opportunity to strengthen the support available to residents facing financial pressures. We already have a strong network of partners who work together to help our communities. This new fund means we can build on that work, improve access to financial advice and make support quicker and easier to navigate. 
If approved, our approach will ensure residents get the right help at the right time, whether they need urgent crisis support or longer-term guidance.Cllr Laura Couse, Cabinet Member for Adult Care and Public Health at West Northamptonshire Council

Under the proposals, residents would benefit from faster crisis payments, direct referrals into money advice, benefits checks and energy support and better coordination between council services and voluntary organisations, as well as clearer information through updated support directories and shared referral tools.   

If Cabinet approves the plans, WNC will finalise its three-year delivery plan for submission to the Department for Work and Pensions by July 2026. Details on how to access the new support will be shared once Government confirms the final funding allocation.