£1.8m winter package to support children and families in Cornwall

Cornwall is getting a new £1.8million winter package to provide further support for children and families.

Cornwall Council will use the funding, from the Government’s £170million Covid Winter Grant Scheme, to ensure vulnerable households do not go hungry or without essential items.

Building on the 'significant support' given to the most vulnerable from the Government via councils during the pandemic, a new £170m Covid Winter Grant Scheme will be run by councils in England.

The funding will be ring-fenced, with at least 80% earmarked to support with food and bills, and will cover the period to the end of March 2021. Local Authorities will receive the funding at the beginning of December 2020.

Officials say it will allow councils to directly help the hardest-hit families and individuals, as well as provide food for children who need it over the holidays.

The government says local councils understand which groups need support, and are best placed to ensure appropriate holiday support is provided – which is why they will distribute the funds, rather than schools, who will continue providing meals for disadvantaged children during term-time.

The Holiday Activities and Food programme, which has provided healthy food and enriching activities to disadvantaged children since 2018, will also be expanded across England next year.

It will cover Easter, Summer and Christmas in 2021, and cost up to £220m. It will be available to children in every local authority in England, building on previous programmes – including this summers, which supported around 50,000 children across 17 local authorities.

Healthy Start scheme payments are also set to increase from £3.10 to £4.25 a week from next April, 2021.

This scheme supports pregnant women or those with children under four who have a low income and are in receipt of benefits to buy fresh fruit and vegetables. This will help people boost the long-term health of their children.

The Government has also pledged additional funding of £16m for food distribution charities, with conversations with FareShare and others ongoing as to how this is allocated.

“I welcome this extension to our existing funding, which will help families in need in Truro and Falmouth at this time. Crucially, it will not just be limited to families that were eligible for free school meals, but will also be available for families that are not normally but have encountered difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic, something that I have been working with colleagues to make the case to the Government for.

“I am pleased the Government has come forward with this solution now to tackle the immediate issue, as well as the further work being done to expand The Holiday Activities and Food programme for 2021, rise in Healthy Start payments and continued funding for food distribution charities.

“I look forward to working with Cornwall Council to ensure the funding received reaches those who need it most.”

Cherilyn Mackrory, Member of Parliament for Truro and Falmouth

“Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic this Government has provided support to millions of households across the country.

“This has included adding over £9 billion to the welfare system, allowing us to increase Universal Credit payments by £1,000 per year, increase the Local Housing Allowance and create a £180m fund to help struggling families with their rent, and award £16million to food charities.

“As I have previously said, local authorities are best placed to deliver this funding, and the Government has previously recognised this, awarding a £63million fund to councils previously that was ring-fenced for local welfare assistance.

“I have been asking the Government for more funding along these lines for local councils to deliver to the people who need it most and I am pleased to see them build on the funding made available to local authorities earlier this year with this additional £170million Covid Winter Grant Scheme, of which Cornwall Council will be getting £1,831,567. This will allow Cornwall Council to help those families who need it most during this unprecedented and particularly difficult time.

“Earlier this year I said I would continue to do all I can to ensure families in mid-Cornwall get the support they need to be able to feed their children through the support we have already made available. I am pleased that the Government has listened and extended the support provided to councils with this additional funding.

“Looking forward to next year I am also pleased to see the Holiday Activities and Food programme will be expanded across England next year and look forward to working to ensure Cornwall Council gets its fair share of the funding that will be made available.”

Steve Double, MP for St Austell and Newquay