I have today received a letter from the Pensions Secretary to MPs outlining the support available for vulnerable families in Scunthorpe this Winter. I have shared this with you below. This is a follow-up to my Facebook post earlier this week outlining the government's recent announcements, which you can view here.
In the letter, the Minister outlines the £170 million Covid Winter Grant Scheme that will be distributed to Local Authorities (LAs) for them to pass out. This should assist people in need until March, with LAs free to use this money how they see fit- be it for cash, vouchers, food or charity funding. North Lincs Council has been granted and I will provide more information when I know how this money will be spent.
Elsewhere, from April 2021, I understand that regular Healthy Start Scheme payments, for lower-income pregnant women or families with young children, will increase from £3.10 to £4.25 from April 2021.
And the government's Holiday Activities and Food will be expanded to ensure that kids stay busy over the holidays. With 220 million investment, hopefully, we can help even more young people than the 50,000 already benefitting from the scheme. £16 million extra will also be going to charities providing food.
I welcome the Winter Support Package. Having lobbied for support on behalf of lower-income families over the past few months, this is a great step towards providing food security for some of our most vulnerable children.