Low-income Wakefield families to be given £60 supermarket voucher

The Government has allocated £3.1m of funding through the Household Support Fund, to be spent by September 30 2022.

The council will use some of the grant to address holiday hunger in the summer school holidays - around 9,000 low-income families who receive Council Tax Support will be sent a £60 supermarket voucher towards the end of July.

It follows on from the Easter holiday voucher scheme.

The council is also using the Household Support Fund to support other vulnerable people. In June, £50 supermarket vouchers were issued to around 7,000 residents who receive Council Tax Support and are either a pensioner or receive a disability-related benefit, such as Disability Living Allowance. (Only one voucher was issued to each qualifying household.)

Coun Maureen Cummings, Cabinet Member for Communities, Health and Poverty, said: “We know that school holidays can be a very difficult time for some families across our district and it can be a challenging time for other vulnerable people too, so I am very pleased that we are able to use this funding to make a difference.”

Additionally, Wakefield Happy, Healthy Holidays team are coordinating free activities, with food, for children aged five-16 eligible for and in receipt of free school meals during the Easter, Summer and Christmas 2022 school holidays, which is funded by the DfE Holiday Activities and Food programme.

Other support includes the Local Welfare Fund, where families in financial hardship can request support for household essentials from the council.

People are reminded that the ‘Help at the Hub’ and Family Hub venues are places that can support families in need of help and support. The Help at the Hubs have food banks and access to financial support, CAB amongst other services.

Simon Topham, Chairman of Wakefield Residents Recovery Group said: ‘Wakefield Council have brought together a group of partners including third sector organisations, WDH and DWP to plan how best to support families experiencing poverty.

“This group has implemented a wide variety of support measures including co-ordination of the vouchers to local residents, support to the Food Network, funding of the ‘Big Feed’ deliveries and the establishment of ‘Help at the Hub’ a network of 9 community venues able to offer community pantries, access to Citizens Advice services and IT facilities to local children’.”

Visit www.wakefield.gov.uk/hub to find a local community support hub or visit www.wakefield.gov.uk/moneyinmypocket for help and information.