Published: Wednesday, 5th August 2026
Residents in Medway who continue to face financial pressures are being reminded of the wide range of support on offer.
Last night (Tuesday, 4 August) Cabinet agreed the new Crisis and Resilience Plan 2026 – 2028. To support the aims of the Crisis and Resilience Fund, which launched earlier this year, the new plan replaces Medway’s Cost of Living Response Plan and focuses on helping to build financial resilience and provide support.
The Crisis and Resilience Plan brings together the range of support on offer from the council and its partners into one place, and has four key objectives - responding to crisis, housing support, building resilience and community co-ordination.
In Medway, the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) is being used to provide much needed support and invest in measures to build financial resilience. £1.1million has been allocated to Medway’s crisis payments scheme, providing support for residents on a low income who face a sudden loss of income, an unexpected expense or a situation which puts their health, wellbeing or housing at risk.
The CRF is also being used to invest in literacy and numeracy courses through Medway Adult Education to help build financial resilience, as well as increase the number of free places available through Medway’s Holiday Activity Fund programme – MedwayGo – to provide support to families during the school holidays.
To help support residents using Medway’s social care services, a fund for increased early help and financial resilience projects has also been established using funding from the CRF. Medway’s local offer for care leavers will also be reviewed, with a focus on ensuring care leavers have the skills they need to be financially secure.
Later in the year, a £500,000 voluntary and community sector grant scheme will be set up for community-based projects which support the CRF objectives.
The council also continues to offer the lowest council tax in Kent, and has increased its council tax reduction scheme incomeF bands in line with inflation once again – ensuring those most in need of support get it. Medway also continues to discount all military compensation payments when working out eligibility for veterans.
Medway is also continuing to invest in temporary accommodation, and the council’s own lettings service One Medway Lettings, to help provide vulnerable households with stability. The council’s housing team also provides a wide range of support and advice to residents – from budget and benefit advice to providing food and utility vouchers in an emergency. The council also holds tenant roadshows to bring services together in one place so tenants can learn about and access the support available, and provides regular outreach through its Rough Sleeper Initiative.
The quarterly Medway Arts and Homelessness Forum was set up to engage with rough sleepers and those facing homelessness to learn from their lived experience. It brings partners together to provide crisis support, but also aims to improve wellbeing through creative activities. This multi-agency response can help people find the right support at the right time, and help to reduce the impact of crisis.
Medway also secured £1.5million through the Warm Homes Local Grant which can be used to improve the energy efficiency of homes and bring down utility costs. Medway is working with E.ON to provide grants of up to £30,000 through the scheme.
We continue to provide free family events, activities and sports sessions throughout the year through including over the summer through MedwayGo, Child-Friendly Medway and the Summer of Sport. Residents can also access a wide range of activities and support directly through Medway’s libraries and Children and Family Hubs.
The Medway Food Partnership continues to go from strength to strength, with 191 members from 89 organisations joining together to tackle food insecurity in Medway. Together, the partnership supports 20,000 families and households with food parcels each year, has delivered more than 400 cookery courses across Medway and supported 2,200 children to develop cooking skills and healthy eating habits.
The council also continues to provide free training to staff who have conversations about money with residents as part of the Money and Pensions Service Money Guiders Programme, and will be extending this training to partner organisations to boost the number of trusted professionals that can advise residents.
Committed to playing our part to support our residents
Cllr Vince Maple, Leader of Medway Council, said: “Although it may have a new name, this is the fourth year we have created this plan to set out all of the support available to residents. Honestly, it is something we wish we did not have to do, but the unfortunate fact is that every single one of us probably knows someone in their life who needs this help – and as long as that is the case we are committed to playing our part to support our residents.
“These are challenging times for a lot of us – but I am encouraged to see this support move towards building people up towards independence as well as being there for them in a crisis. This is all about making it as easy as possible for people to know what is out there to help them, so if you are reading this, I have one request – please share this plan with your family and friends.”
Ensuring support stays in place
Following changes announced last year to how Macmillan Cancer Support provides third-party funding for welfare support, we have used funding from the Crisis and Resilience Fund to create a new team to ensure the much-needed support to those facing sudden health changes can remain in place. The new Welfare Benefits and Community Support team will continue to provide direct support to all residents facing life-limiting illnesses, including welfare benefit issues and supporting appeals to ensure people get the money and help they are entitled to.
Cllr Vince Maple added: “Most of us will have been impacted by a loved one or close friend who has been faced with a sudden change in health. It was never an option to see this support disappear in Medway, and thanks to the Crisis and Resilience Fund we have been able to make sure that our residents have one less thing to worry about should the worst happen.”
Read the full Crisis and Resilience Plan 2026 – 2028.
Find out more about the support on offer through out financial welfare hub and household help pages.