Cornwall Council will be receiving £1,831,567 from the Government’s £170million Covid Winter Grant Scheme. The funding will be ring-fenced to directly help the hardest-hit families and individuals, as well as provide food for children who need it over Christmas. This builds on the £63 million provided by the Government to councils earlier this year to assist those struggling to afford food and essentials.
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. 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.
Commenting, St Austell and Newquay Member of Parliament Steve Double said:
“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.”