Support fund made available to help Manchester residents during winter

Manchester City Council has approved nearly £6.5m of government funding to be used to support Manchester families who receive welfare support over the coming winter months.

The Council’s Household Support Fund is part of a wider £500m made available nationally be the government to support people through the winter, including free school meals over the Christmas and February 2022 half term holidays.

Manchester City Council will use the funding to give families with children who receive Council Tax Support a cheque for either £70 or £100 to help with winter bills, and fund free school meals for eligible families over the school holidays.

£300k will also be provided through the community and voluntary sector, with £50k going to Manchester’s Food Partnership and £250k going to advice services such as Citizens Advice.

Another £300k will be provided through a discretionary fund to provide welfare support to households who receive welfare benefits and have responsibility for households bills, but do not receive Council Tax Support.

Cllr Bev Craig, Leader Elect of Manchester City Council, said: ‘We know that many of our residents have really struggled through the pandemic and although signs are positive that we are coming out of the other end, the impact on residents following changes to welfare – and Universal Credit in particular – are very real. Couple this with rising fuel costs and general costs of living, we can expect more households to be feeling financial pressure in the coming months.

‘The reality is that the loss of £20 per week in Universal Credit payments has taken £60million from the pockets of Mancunians – and although this funding is of course welcome, it does not compare to what has been lost, especially following a decade of austerity.

‘We hope that this funding will provide a sense of stability for families who need help. Ensuring our young people have enough to eat during school holidays is a priority for us and knowing that Free School Meals will continue through Christmas and February half term next year will be a real relief to those families that rely on it.’

Photo by Kelly Sikkema