Proposals to allocate £1,195,799 from this fund were approved at a meeting of the Finance, Economy and Corporate Support Committee last week.

The proposals include payments to help vulnerable households experiencing fuel poverty this winter and an increase to the amount of funds available to organisations who had applied for support to work with people experiencing financial crisis.

In addition, businesses will be able to apply for grants of up to £25,000 under the Business Resilience and Growth Fund. Information on the funding criteria as well as an application form are available on the council website. The fund will remain open for applications until Friday, 6 January.

The support package will also enable businesses seeking to reduce their energy costs to access free specialist advice through Stirling Enterprise Park (STEP). Businesses looking to register interest in receiving energy efficiency guidance should contact step@stepscotland.co.uk.

Finance, economy and corporate support convener, Councillor Margaret Brisley, said: “I’m pleased that we’re able to provide this additional financial relief to households and businesses over the coming winter period while the cost of living crisis continues to have such an acute effect on our communities.

“By utilising the remaining money from the LACER fund in this manner, we are able to help local businesses in this challenging economic climate and helping to reduce bills for households facing significant pressure this winter.”