Warrington Borough Council Crisis and Resilience Fund – Preliminary Market Engagement

The Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) is being made available to local authorities (LAs) in England to support low-income households who encounter a financial shock and to support activity that builds individual and community financial resilience. This funding covers the period of 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2029 inclusive.

Guidance on CRF can be found here: (you may need to copy and paste in to your browser) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/crisis-and-resilience-fund-guidance-for-local-authorities-in-england-1-april-2026-to-31-march-2029/the-crisis-and-resilience-fund-guidance-for-local-authorities-in-england-1-april-2026-to-31-march-2029

This market engagement includes a focus on:
• a provider lead alliance
• crisis response referral
• financial information and advice
• strengthening community resilience (eg. Food, fuel etc)

Clear, trusted guidance is essential for helping individuals navigate financial challenges, understand their rights, and make informed decisions. At the same time, targeted support, ranging from physical interventions to targeted advice, plays a critical role in reducing vulnerability, improving household sustainability, and mitigating the impact of rising costs.

We are seeking to understand the existing capacity, innovation, expertise and knowledge of Warrington communities, within the local market to deliver trusted services that will form part of our CRF delivery. By engaging with potential providers, we aim to shape a commissioning approach that is collaborative, responsive, inclusive, and founded in real-world local insight. This process will help ensure that the funding and support reaches those who need it most, providing long-term resilience for residents.

Please complete the questionnaire and return it to us by the date indicated below. The data collected from the questionnaire plus other informal engagements that have been carried out, will help inform our service model and the specification of the elements of the service that we put out for open tender.
Please note that completion of this questionnaire is not a prerequisite for submitting a tender for any following Tender Opportunities the Council may offer in the future. Nor is any response submitted a binding offer to deliver any aspect of the service in a specific manner, or at all.

Please submit your response by 5pm on Monday 30th March 2026.