A charity’s partnership with its local council has helped secure more than £500,000 in benefits for older people in its area within three months, latest evaluation has found.

The partnership between Age UK Bolton and Bolton Council is focused on the charity supporting older people with specialist advice, advocacy and practical support amid rising costs through the Local Authority Flexible Grant (LAFG).

The money was used to ensure the charity can continue recruiting and retaining specialist staff and volunteers.

Evaluation from the first quarter of the current financial year found it secured £580,000 in benefits and £23,000 in annual fuel savings.

The partnership is part of the local authority’s strategy of using local charities to “to reach those most in need, quickly and compassionately”.

The charity says that without the grant it “would have been forced to scale back its Information & Advice Service”.

“Through this funding and partnership, we’ve been able to reach those who are isolated, scared, and struggling, said Age UK Bolton chief executive Lauren McKechnie.

“From helping someone in cancer treatment get a £1,175 energy refund, to securing weekly financial peace of mind for hundreds of residents, we’ve shown what can happen when the public and VCSE sectors work hand in hand.”

Bolton Council’s assistant director of environmental and regulatory services Garry Parker added: “It’s a real example of how relatively modest investment, placed in the right hands, can have an extraordinary impact — reducing poverty, improving wellbeing, and delivering cleaner, greener homes for our older residents.”

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