Wolverhampton North East MP Jane Stevenson has welcomed news that the city will receive a further £1 million from the Government’s Covid Local Support Grant.
The scheme was set up in December to help support vulnerable families across the country who are struggling with the cost of food and utility bills as a result of the pandemic. More than £269 million has been invested in the grant so far, and between 1st December and 16th April local authorities made almost 6.3 million awards under the scheme.
Now the Department of Work and Pensions has announced a further extension of the grant until the end of September. Wolverhampton Council will receive an extra £999,457, bringing the total amount that the city has received from the grant to almost £2.7 million.
This has enabled the council to support hard-pressed families across the city. In addition to this, the Government’s £220 million Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme has been scaled up to cover the whole of England across the major school holidays in 2021 – including this summer. The HAF provides disadvantaged children across the county with healthy meals and enriching activities.
Jane said: “It is great to see the Government extending the Covid Local Support Grant, which has been a lifeline for many families in Wolverhampton and across the country. This means an extra £1 million of support for residents in our city to help get them back on their feet over the weeks and months ahead as restrictions come to an end.
“The amount of funding and support that Wolverhampton has received from the Government throughout the pandemic has been phenomenal and made a huge difference. The Holiday Activities and Food programme has also been there to help disadvantaged children during the school holidays, and I thank the Government for rolling this out in Wolverhampton.”
The Minister for Welfare Delivery, Will Quince MP, said: “This grant is ensuring that thousands of families get help with food and essential utility bills as we move back towards normality.
“The new funding extends this lifeline to those most in need in the coming months as we continue to help families back on their feet, including supporting people back into work through our multi-billion pound Plan for Jobs.”
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