Food vouchers delivered and there’s still other support
THE first of two food voucher runs has been completed by Derbyshire County Council after the authority received almost £2.2m from the Government’s Covid Winter Grant Scheme to support vulnerable families over the winter months.
The second set of vouchers will be sent out next month to cover the half term period.
Approximately £1.66m of the £2.2m will be spent of the provision of vouchers to families across the Christmas and February half-term breaks and approximately £420,000 is being spent on vulnerable adults partially through voucher scheme for care-leavers and via Derbyshire
Discretionary Fund. There is also additional funding for the Derbyshire Healthy Homes Programme which will address, via referral, domestic infrastructure issues including boiler repair and heating system maintenance.
Funding will also stretch to an older adult hardship fund targeting over 65-year-olds via a grant to Age UK Derby and Derbyshire and a grant to Derbyshire Carers Association.
Cabinet member for Young People, Councillor Alex Dale said: “It’s been a challenge to set up the systems needed to get these food vouchers to the families that need it the most in such a short timeframe, but I’m really proud of the council teams working around the clock to get these vouchers out in such a short space of time.
“This has been a hard year for a lot of families and other members of our communities and throughout our development of this proposal it has been our aim to make sure all of the money reaches families in the most efficient way.
“Although the Government has indicated that administrative and delivery costs for the setting up and running of the scheme should be deducted from the grant, it has been our priority that all of the funds are made available for families directly.”