Shrewsbury Town Council has announced the successful recipients of its new three-year Cost of Living Grant Fund, awarding strategic funding to four organisations delivering vital frontline support to residents across the town.
The successful organisations are:
Little Stars
Citizens Advice Shropshire
Marches Energy Advice
Shrewsbury Food Hub
The new grant programme was established following approval by Shrewsbury Town Council to create a dedicated £80,000 annual Cost of Living Fund aimed at supporting residents facing increasing financial pressures through practical, locally delivered services.
The scheme was developed following recommendations approved by the Council’s Communities & Environment Committee and subsequent establishment of a dedicated Cost of Living Grants Sub-Committee to oversee the process and ensure funding was targeted towards projects capable of delivering measurable outcomes for Shrewsbury residents.
The four successful projects will collectively deliver targeted support around debt advice, food insecurity, energy efficiency, family support and financial resilience over the next three years.
Citizens Advice Shropshire will establish a centrally based “Shrewsbury Advice Hub” providing coordinated, face-to-face support for working-age residents experiencing financial hardship. The project will deliver welfare advice, debt support, housing guidance and practical help to improve household resilience and access to support services.
Little Stars will expand its family-focused support services aimed at reducing hardship for families with young children, improving access to essential items and support networks, and strengthening early intervention services for vulnerable households.
Marches Energy Advice will deliver targeted energy support for low-income working households across Shrewsbury. The project will provide tailored energy advice, home “Energy MOTs”, energy efficiency improvements and targeted campaigns designed to reduce household energy bills and improve long-term resilience.
Shrewsbury Food Hub will continue and expand its food support and redistribution work, helping residents access affordable food while reducing waste and strengthening community food security across the town.
Leader of Shrewsbury Town Council, Councillor Rob Wilson, said:
This funding programme was created because we recognised that many residents across Shrewsbury continue to face very real pressures from rising household costs, energy bills, housing pressures and food insecurity. As a council, we wanted to ensure support reached organisations already delivering trusted, practical help in our communities. These grants are designed to strengthen partnership working, improve long-term resilience and ensure local people can access support early before problems escalate into crisis. Each organisation awarded funding demonstrated a strong understanding of local need alongside clear and measurable outcomes for residents.”
Chair of the Cost of Living Grants Sub-Committee, Councillor Emma Micklewright, added:
The quality of applications received was exceptionally high and reflected the enormous amount of work already taking place across Shrewsbury to support residents through difficult circumstances. The Sub-Committee had some very difficult decisions to make because there were many strong proposals capable of delivering meaningful impact. The successful projects stood out because of their collaborative approach, clear evidence of local need, measurable outcomes and ability to deliver practical support directly to residents across the town. “We are particularly pleased that the funded projects cover a broad range of support areas including energy advice, family support, food security and financial resilience, ensuring the fund reaches different groups and communities across Shrewsbury.”
The projects will begin delivery during the 2026/27 financial year and will be monitored annually against agreed outcomes and performance measures over the next three years.