THE Government has provided £2.4 million from its hardship fund to support vulnerable residents in the Cheshire West borough during the coronavirus outbreak.

The grant, which has been given to Cheshire West and Chester Council, will be used to help reduce council tax bills for those considered to be vulnerable.

Councillor Carol Gahan, the council’s cabinet member for legal and finance, said: “During these truly unprecedented times, we want to help our residents as much as we can.

“This hardship fund will help us to ease money worries for some of the most vulnerable households in the borough as we all work together to battle the spread of this disease.”

Anyone already receiving support through the council’s existing council tax reduction scheme will receive up to £150 off their bill.

This amount will be automatically deducted.

Eligible residents will receive information about how this will affect their payments soon.

For more information about council tax, visit cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/residents/council-tax.