• As part of £170 million Covid Winter Grant Scheme, councils across England given extra funding to support vulnerable families and prevent hunger
• West Sussex County Council to receive total of £1.9 million from the Government for food and supplies for vulnerable households
• “No child should have to worry about food or warmth this winter” says Work & Pensions Secretary Thérèse Coffey

Funding from Government has been provided to councils, allowing families struggling to afford food and essentials over the Christmas period to access support in Crawley.

The Covid Winter Grant Scheme will see councils across England share a total of £170 million in additional, ring-fenced funding to help vulnerable families and individuals, with West Sussex receiving a total of £1,989,591.80.

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.

To support people during this challenging time, the Government has invested more than £280 billion to protect people’s jobs and incomes through the furlough scheme, grants for the self-employed and other support for business and a £7.4 billion injection to strengthen the welfare safety net this year.

Henry said;

“Throughout the pandemic, Government has stood squarely behind families who are struggling to make ends meet.

“No child should ever go hungry, which is why it’s welcome that West Sussex County Council has received additional support to help people in Crawley.

“I’ll continue to work with Government to ensure that local families continue to get the support they need, not just through the pandemic, but as we recover and rebuild after – true to this Government’s mission to level up communities across the country.”

The Secretary of State for Work & Pensions, Thérèse Coffey, commented;

“No child should have to worry about food or warmth this winter.

“We have worked with councils across England to ensure the £170 million Covid Winter Grant delivers well-targeted support as quickly as possible, primarily focusing on heating and eating for disadvantaged families with children.

“Our £170 million commitment builds on the £63 million already given to councils earlier this year and will ensure families get the help they need so that no one goes hungry this winter.”

The grants are focused on helping families buy essentials, with at least 80 per cent of funds ring-fenced to be spent on food, energy and water bills, with 20 per cent available for other associated essential costs. Councils can also offer support to vulnerable individuals and households without children.

This is all part of the Government’s long-term plan to tackle poor health, hunger and education. In addition to the Covid Winter Grant Scheme, from Easter 2021 the Holiday Activities and Food Fund will be expanded with £220 million of funding to cover the major school holidays that year. This will help disadvantaged children get healthy food and take part in fun and enriching activities.

Healthy Start scheme payments are also set to increase from £3.10 to £4.25 a week from next April, and the Government has pledged additional funding of £16 million for the food distribution charity FareShare.

Devolved administrations have received equivalent funding through the upfront funding guarantee, which was recently increased to £16 bilion for the year to support their Covid-19 response.

For information on the West Sussex County Council Community Hub please visit: www.westsussex.gov.uk/covid19communityhub