GRANTS totalling over £157,000 have been given to organisations in the city that help with financial inclusion.

The city council's Executive Members for Finance and Performance and Housing and Safer Neighbourhoods approved plans to fund 9 projects over the next year.

York’s Financial Inclusion Steering Group invited bids from organisations as part of its work to ensure that local people have the knowledge of and access to appropriate services to help them make better choices and achieve and maintain financial stability.

City of York Council recently boosted its support to help more residents better cope with the cost of living crisis.

The group includes representation from the council, alongside Citizens Advice York, Community First Credit Union, Explore York, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Welfare Benefits Unit, York CVS and York Food Justice Alliance.

The projects that benefited were Blueberry Academy (£9,000) for an online marketplace, Experience Counts (£19,320) 50+ employment project, Changing Lives (£19,479) financial and social inclusion worker, Refugee Action York (£13,480) advice and support, Peaseholme Charity (£27,54,3), My Money, My Life, Citizen's Advice York (£5,385) Financial Inclusion in the Traveller Community, Age UK York (£18,692), Reaching Out to Older People in their Community, IT Reuse (£26,864), IT reuse project, and Welfare Benefits Unit (£17,299) for Advice Extra.