THE value of school holiday meal vouchers will be increased in Tameside as part of a package of measures to support low-income households.
Tameside Council has received £3.92 million from the government for the current financial year for the Household Support Fund (HSF).
The local authority has confirmed how it plans to spend the fund, intended to support people such as families with children, pensioners, care leavers, unpaid carers, disabled people, larger families and single people.
Around 60 per cent of the funding is set to be spent on increasing school holiday meal vouchers from £10 to £15 per week.
The council says students in post-16 education at Tameside College or Ashton Sixth Form will no longer receive the vouchers, pointing to discretionary bursary support that colleges can access for students from low-income households.
The authority plans to allocate a section of the fund – an undisclosed amount – to expand on community support, which will involve funding warm spaces and additional signposting to organisations that offer wraparound support.
Money will also go towards an estimated 200 slow cookers and 50 cooking demonstration sessions through the Tameside Community Food Skills Project, helping vulnerable residents and groups to increase their food knowledge and skills.
Funding will also be given to benefits and debt advice, housing costs, essential furniture support and direct grants to ‘prevent crisis’, the council has pledged.
There are also plans to spend some of the cash on an open application for residents to come forward to ask for support, based on an eligibility scale.
The council’s Executive Cabinet must agree on the funding allocation at its meeting on Wednesday (June 25).
“The government’s decision to continue funding the HSF for a further year means Tameside Council can continue to help keep residents safe, supported and healthy in times of need,” said Councillor Hugh Roderick, Executive Member for Finance and Resources.
“The funding has allowed us to increase the level of support for our most deprived children and work with services and partners means that we can ensure we fund the activities that will help residents most.”
Information on how to access further support with the cost of living can be found on the council’s website at www.tameside.gov.uk/helpinghand