Extra money to help families pay for food and bills during pandemic

By Maria Zaccaro, Local Democracy Reporting Service

Hundreds of thousands of pounds are set to be spent to help Southampton families pay for food and bills.

City bosses are expected to receive about £900,000 from central government to support residents in need until March 2021.

The funding – which is part of a £170m grant scheme – is aimed at ensuring that vulnerable people and families with children are able to buy food and pay bills.

The announcement has been welcomed by some city leaders while others are calling for further help.

The news comes as last month the government came under fire for not providing food to children on free school meals during the October half-term.

As reported, the city council and local restaurants pulled together to feed Southampton children.

Earlier this month the government announced the £170m Covid Winter Grant Scheme and said that free school meals will be provided during school holidays until Christmas 2021.

Southampton Itchen MP Royston Smith said the cash will support city residents.

He said: “No child should ever go hungry and the extra £900,000 for Southampton City Council will ensure that families needing help with food and bills this winter can get it, which is very welcome news. This additional funding for Southampton should directly support the most vulnerable children in our community and help to ensure they have food, heating and warm clothes throughout the winter.”

Cllr Dan Fitzhenry, opposition leader at the city council, said the extra money will be a “great help”.

But Cllr Christopher Hammond, city council leader, said the grant is “a temporary reprieve”.

He said: “I’m glad that the Prime Minister and Tory MPs have recognised how out of step they were with public opinion. Although I welcome this last minute U-turn and funding, child holiday hunger is going to be an ongoing issue as the economic climate worsens. We need a long-term plan and commitment to funding for several years to ensure that no child goes hungry.”

In a statement the government said: “We know this has been a challenging time for many, and we are wholly committed to supporting the lowest paid families and most vulnerable. Above all, no one should go hungry or be unable to pay their bills this winter. We have boosted welfare support by £9.3 billion and the Covid Winter Grant Scheme, which is funded according to the population and level of deprivation in each local authority, builds on that support. Meanwhile, the extension of the Holiday Activities and Food programme will mean further financial help for families during all major holidays for the next year.”