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£ 3 MILLION AWARDED TO WIRRAL COUNCIL TO PROVIDE SCHOOL MEAL REPLACEMENTS AND HELP VULNERABLE RESIDENTS THIS SUMMER
Wirral Council has secured more than £ 3 million to provide school meal replacements and help residents facing severe financial difficulties this summer .
The funding is from a six-month extension to the Government ’ s Household Support Fund and will be targeted at the borough ’ s most vulnerable residents , with a third ring-fenced to support families with children , and a further third allocated to help pensioners ( age 65 +).
Wirral Council ’ s Director of Resources , Shaer Halewood , said : “ Cost of living increases are making it increasingly difficult for people to make ends meet , so this £ 3 million of extra support is very welcome . The new funding will be targeted at the most vulnerable people in our community , with the majority being used to help with essential food and fuel costs . We know that many families rely on school meals and will be worried about feeding their children over the summer , so more than £ 1 million will used to provide food for the summer holiday via nurseries , schools , Birkenhead Sixth Form College and through Holiday Activity Fund play schemes . If you or someone you know is in genuine need and struggling , please find out what help is available .”
The funding is the latest from the Department for Work and Pensions which has provided more than £ 6 million to Wirral since December 2020 under the COVID Winter Grant Scheme and COVID Local Support Grants . The £ 3.049 million awarded under the latest phase must be spent by 30 September 2022 and will be used towards the following projects :
Financial Support with Fuel and with Fuel & Water Debt (£ 650,000 ) Vulnerable residents who are unable to pay for the fuel they need to heat and power their homes or are struggling to deal with fuel and water debt can apply for help in several ways :
• Those with pre-payment meters can request a fuel voucher ( gas and electric ) from national charity , Fuelbank Foundation , via their local delivery partners Citizens Advice Wirral , Involve Northwest and Energy Projects Plus , as well as via the Emergency Financial Support Scheme ( see below ).
• People who pay by direct debit can apply for help towards their fuel and water costs , which will be paid directly to their utility provider following an assessment and referral by Citizens Advice Wirral .
• People struggling with fuel and water debt can request help to clear or reduce their debt from Citizens Advice Wirral and Energy Projects Plus .
• People in crisis situations who are unable to repair or replace broken or obsolete heating and do not qualify for help under other programmes can apply to local charity Energy Projects Plus for help under the Crisis Support with heating scheme .
Small Grants Programme (£ 600,000 ) Community-based food and welfare support groups , including many that played a key role supporting residents through the pandemic , were invited to apply for up to £ 20,000 ( plus up to £ 2,000 administration costs ) to help ensure that food and essential items are available to those most in need in their local communities over the summer months . The application window closed on Friday 27th May 2022 and bids are currently being assessed .
Emergency School Food Pantries (£ 520,000 ) Primary , secondary , special schools , and Birkenhead Sixth Form College will be given a store of ambient items for the children to take home and use over the summer holiday . The project builds on the success of a similar scheme delivered in partnership with local charity Neo Community , which saw 112 pallet-loads of food delivered to 40 local schools in the autumn of 2021 .
12 wirrallife . com