Local MP for Hastings and Rye, Sally-Ann Hart, has welcomed support for families that have been hardest hit by the pandemic, with extra support this winter with food and bills and local residents can benefit from a new £170 million scheme unveiled by the Government.
The Covid-19 Winter Grant Scheme will see councils across England share £170 million in additional, ring-fenced funding to help vulnerable families and individuals, with East Sussex County Council (ESCC) receiving £1,594,930.86.
This will prevent children from going hungry this winter and ensure local families get the help they need. It builds on the £63 million already provided to councils this year to assist those struggling to buy food and essentials.
A further £220 million will be invested in extending the Holiday and Food Programme until next Christmas, meaning that all children eligible for free school meals will have the option to join a holiday-time programme that provides healthy food and fun activities during the summer, Christmas and Easter holidays next year.
“No child should ever go hungry”
Commenting, Sally-Ann said : “No child should ever go hungry, and the extra £1.5 million for ESCC will ensure local families that need extra support with food and bills this winter can access it, which is very welcome news.
“I’m also pleased that the Prime Minister has announced the extension of the Holiday Activities and Food programme, which provides healthy food and activities for children during the school holidays and has a massive impact on disadvantaged young people in our community, to cover Easter, Summer and Christmas next year.
“Investing in children’s future is central to the Conservative Party’s mission to level up and extend opportunity across the country, and with this additional support we can prevent the hunger we know is so damaging to a child’s life chances.”
“A challenging time for many”
Commenting, Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey said, “we want to make sure vulnerable people are cared for throughout this difficult time and, above all, no one should go hungry or be unable to pay their bills this winter.
“We know this has been a challenging time for many and we have consistently supported the lowest-paid families, protecting 9 million jobs with furlough and boosting welfare support by £9.3 billion.
“This package builds on that support and by extending our successful Holiday Activities and Food programme as well as funding a £170 million Covid Winter Grant Scheme to ensure families get the help they need.”
Source: Office of Sally-Ann Hart press release
Image Credits: UK Parliament https://members.parliament.uk/member/4842/portrait Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) .
We know support from local authorities can make a real difference when someone is hit by the unexpected – but it must work in coordination with a national social security system strong enough to act as a lifeline to any of us struggling to afford the essentials. That’s why it’s crucial that alongside this package, the government commits to locking in the £20 weekly increase to Universal Credit, and makes sure that people currently excluded because their payments come through the old welfare system get this vital boost too.
How interesting to note that Sally-Ann Hart thinks that no child should ever go hungry, why on earth did she vote not to extend the aid for said children during holidays including half terms?
This article/press release should be read in conjunction with Ms Hart’s press release from just a couple of weeks ago (https://www.ryenews.org.uk/news/school-meals-an-emotive-subject) where she expresses the opposite view.
In the latter, she says she “has always stood up for what she believes in”. This is a laudable quality but please may we enquire exactly which view she believes in and what she plans to do about it?