Council outlines support for most vulnerable households this winter
Date Added: 16/12/2021
How we're allocating funding from the Government's Household Support Fund
In September the Government announced its new £500m Household Support Fund, designed to support those most in need this winter during the country’s final stages of economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic.
We were awarded £1,483,073 to support residents with food, energy and water bills and other essentials over the winter period.
Some of the funding has already been distributed to households. During October half term, a £15 supermarket voucher was provided to every child eligible for free school meals to support with food costs. In total, 6,257 supermarket vouchers were distributed to families in Central Bedfordshire, worth almost £94,000. Support for these families will continue over the Christmas holidays and February half term.
As well as children entitled to free school meals, those eligible for support include:
• Children eligible for 2-year-old funding/Early Years Pupil Premium
• Children or young people attending Shuttleworth College who are eligible for free school meals
• Care leavers (young adults aged between 18 and 25 years old that have previously spent time in care before they were 18 years old)
• Residents of Council-managed caravan sites or permanent, legally licensed residential park homes
• Local Council Tax Support (LCTS) claimants
The Household Support Fund is funded by the Department for Work and Pensions and replaces the Covid Local Support Grant. The full list of who is eligible for support this winter is available on our website using the purple button below.
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We're also running free winter holiday activities for children eligible for free school meals
As well as providing support for food and utilities over the Christmas holidays, we are running free holiday activities for children entitled to free school meals through our Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme.
Activities are inclusive so are suitable for children with special education needs and disabilities (SEND), but we'll also be running a series of activities that are specifically for children with SEND. Similar activities were run over the summer holidays.
These activities are only available to children receiving free school meals - this is a requirement of the Department for Education who are funding the programme.