OVO: a new blueprint for delivering support in the utilities sector
See how OVO uses Lightning Reach to deliver £7.6m in direct support, simplify referrals and help customers access financial support in just 1-2 days.
Crisis & Resilience
One platform for delivering the Crisis and Resilience Fund
We equip councils with one simple platform to administer the Crisis and Resilience Funds, while also helping residents access wider support beyond the fund itself.
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Crisis support needs to go beyond one-off grants
The Crisis and Resilience Fund helps local authorities in England support residents facing urgent financial need. Lightning Reach gives councils everything they need to collect applications, assess eligibility, and deliver support and referrals, all through one digital platform.
Less admin. More impact.
We help councils deliver the Crisis and Resilience Fund more efficiently, while giving residents a faster route to additional support from over 2,500 schemes.
Reduce admin
Streamline applications, collect evidence and run eligibility checks through one connected system.
Deliver support, faster
Issue payments and vouchers more efficiently through built-in fulfilment and payment tools.
Find additional support
Connect residents to additional grants, benefits and support schemes after they apply.
Real time reporting
Reduce admin with real-time data and automated reports that make it easier to evidence outcomes.
Supporting councils across the UK
Explore case studies of how local authorities are making support easier to access and easier to deliver.
Lambeth Council: Transforming access to housing and financial support
Discover how Lambeth Council is transforming access to housing and financial support with Lightning Reach. Learn how Lambeth Council is improving resident support.
Support Partner Spotlight: The RAF Benevolent Fund
We spoke with our Support Partner the RAF Benevolent Fund about their experiences using the Lightning Reach portal. The RAF Benevolent Fund started to use the portal in summer 2022 to administer their grants to help their service users access support available from their charity quickly and easily.Tell us about your charity and who you supportFor more than 100 years, the RAF Benevolent Fund has been supporting members of our RAF Family. We provide lifelong support to serving and ex-serving RAF p
Support Partner Spotlight: ABTA LifeLine
We spoke to our support partner ABTA LifeLine about how they have found working with Lightning Reach and using the portal. As a smaller charity established to support people who work or have worked in the travel industry, we heard from their Director Trudie Clements about how they have benefited from being on the portal.Tell us a little about your charity, who you support and what support you offer?ABTA LifeLine is ABTA’s (The Travel Association’s) charity for past and present employees of ABTA.
Support Partner Spotlight: Racing Welfare
We spoke to our support partner Racing Welfare about how they have found working with Lightning Reach and using the portal. Racing Welfare provide support to the workforce of the British horseracing industry and have several of their grants available for people to apply for on the Lightning Reach portal. We heard from Regional Welfare Manager Brian Watson about how they have benefited from being on the portal.Briefly tell us a little about your charity. Who do you support and how do you support
Partner Spotlight: TSB
We spoke to our partner TSB about how they have found working with Lightning Reach and using the portal. We heard from Partnerships & Open Banking Lead Adam Betteridge about how they have worked with Lighting Reach in delivering additional vital support to their customers.Briefly tell us a little about your company.TSB is a retail bank with a heritage stretching back to the start of the savings bank movement 200 years ago, that provides full banking services to more than five million customers.
Partner Spotlight: PA Housing
We spoke to our support partner PA Housing and heard from members of their Tenancy Sustainment Team about their experience working with Lightning Reach and how they have benefited from being on the portal. PA Housing is a registered provider of social housing offering more than 23,000 homes across the Midlands, London and the South East. PA Housing offers a support fund which residents can apply for through the Lightning Reach portal, and also assist tenants in applying for other support they ma
Partner Spotlight: Royal British Legion
Digital applications through the Lightning Reach portal have transformed Royal British Legion's (RBL) ability to provide support to individuals quicker and more efficiently, speeding up their processes and reaching a broader range of beneficiaries amidst the cost of living crisis.Increasing application numbers via the Lightning Reach portalRBL created their cost of living grants to help veterans, armed forces personnel and their families pay for everyday essential costs such as energy bills, foo
Enhancing support: innovative digital applications for RNBT
Discover how the Royal Naval Benevolent Fund innovated their digital applications with Lightning Reach, streamlining support for RNBT beneficiaries.
Teaching Staff Trust: “Our defining moment was partnering with Lightning Reach”
Since 2021, Teaching Staff Trust (TST) has partnered with Lightning Reach to streamline and enhance its financial support application process. TST provides vital assistance to individuals working, or who have worked, in various education roles, including nursery staff and teaching assistants.Improving efficiency with seamless application managementBefore partnering with Lightning Reach, TST faced challenges in securely accessing applicants’ bank statements, leading to delays in processing applic
Link Housing: engaging hard-to-reach social housing tenants with Lightning Reach
Discover how Link Housing transformed tenant engagement in social housing with Lightning Reach. Learn how social housing tenants found support independently.
How Lightning Reach transformed grant-making at The Salespeople’s Charity
We spoke to grant-making charity, The Salespeople's Charity, about how Lightning Reach has enabled them to triple their average grant awarded.
Lightning Reach & YES Energy Solutions: Scaling energy support with a smarter, faster digital pathway
Discover how Lightning Reach & YES Energy Solutions revolutionised energy support, offering a faster, smarter digital pathway for energy support.
Plus Dane: Empowering tenants to find support through data driven outreach
Discover how Plus Dane Housing empowers tenant support with data-driven outreach, ensuring tenant support is accessible and efficient.
The front line team using Lightning Reach to find financial support for Sunderland resident
Discover how Sunderland City Council's Lightning Reach to save time and connect residents to more financial help.
Chemical Engineers Benevolent Fund: instant grant delivery with Lightning Deliver
Discover how the Chemical Engineers Benevolent Fund revolutionised grant delivery with Lightning Deliver. Elevate your grant delivery process today!
Sunderland City Council: Lightning Reach is a “game-changer” for financial support
Discover how Sunderland City Council and Lightning Reach are working together to transform access to financial support.
CDER Group strengthens social value reporting and customer support with Lightning Reach
Discover how CDER improved their social value reporting and customer support with Lightning Reach.
Simpler applications, faster support: how South Tyneside Council is removing barriers to financial help
Discover how South Tyneside Council improved access to council financial support, accelerated crisis assistance, and connected residents to wider help with Lightning Reach.
How it works
01
Residents apply
Residents share their details through your council's branded application and submit supporting evidence digitally. Built-in ID verification and Open Banking checks reduce manual work for your team from the start.
02
Assess & decide
Review applications and verified evidence in one system. Make consistent, defensible decisions faster, with a full audit trail behind every outcome.
03
Deliver support
Issue payments or vouchers directly, make GDPR-compliant warm referrals to your partner network, and match residents to wider help. Track every outcome in real time.
Features built for connected support
Lightning Reach brings together the tools and workflows your team needs to deliver support more effectively.
Features
Helping local authorities reach more people, faster
93%
Self-service application rate
£25 million+
Additional funding awarded
400,000+
People registered on the platform
The simpler way to deliver support at scale
Discover how Lightning Reach can help your council streamline Crisis and Resilience Fund delivery, reduce manual processes and connect residents to wider support.
Get in touch
Support worker account
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Plus Dane: Empowering tenants to find support through data driven outreach
The front line team using Lightning Reach to find financial support for Sunderland resident
Local authorities
Housing associations
Utilities
Charities
Homelessness pathway
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Lambeth Council: Transforming access to housing and financial support
Local authorities
Housing associations
Utilities
Charities
Crisis & Resilience Fund
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Sunderland City Council: Lightning Reach is a “game-changer” for financial support
Simpler applications, faster support: how South Tyneside Council is removing barriers to financial help
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Budget Checker
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Link Housing: engaging hard-to-reach social housing tenants with Lightning Reach
Simpler applications, faster support: how South Tyneside Council is removing barriers to financial help
Utilities
Local authorities
Housing associations
Charities
Partner Hub
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OVO: a new blueprint for delivering support in the utilities sector
Utilities
Local authorities
Housing associations
Charities