Local families on low incomes will be offered training to help manage their budgets and reduce spending as part of the latest round of Government financial support, a meeting has been told.
Staffordshire County Council will receive just over £11million in its final Household Support Fund grant to assist residents struggling with the cost of food, energy and water bills.
The scheme started in 2021 and so far £27.5million has been made available to Staffordshire residents.
Assistance has included supermarket vouchers for families to help feed their children during school holidays, as well as support for care leavers and households facing fuel poverty.
Cllr Mark Sutton, cabinet member for children and young people, said:
“We have made almost 150,000 individual payments to households. In addition to that, 23 homes have benefited from boiler replacements and a further 115 homes received an installation of measures such as air source heat pumps, solar panels, insulation including underfloor, external cavity and loft insulation, through the Staffordshire Warmer Homes scheme.
“This year going forward it’s split into certain areas and the first is the Education Support Fund.
“It is proposed to continue to provide families of children in Reception to Year 11 who are in receipt of benefit-related free school meals a £20 e-voucher per child for the summer, autumn and spring half terms, and also provide a £20 e-voucher for one of the two weeks of the winter 2023 and Easter 2024 holidays and two weeks for the summer 2023 holiday.
“The second part is Proposed Targeted Support Fund for care leavers in the county. All care leavers in the county will be entitled to four £50 supermarket e-vouchers and they will be administered in August, December, January and March.
“The next part will be where individuals and families can be referred to the scheme through professionals, who can make referrals for people they feel would benefit. It would amount to, on average, support of around £115 per household and the anticipated expenditure on that is £2.4million.”
Cllr Mark Sutton, Staffordshire County Council
“Sustainable and cost-saving ways to manage”
Cllr Sutton added that there will also be a winter warmth project and assistance towards education and other resources.
He said:
“This will include face-to-face support to budget, reducing spend and maximising income.
“Resources will include tools and resources which can be made available to people after the funding is no longer available.
“Community resilience will include a small grant available to organisations who can facilitate activities to improve people’s financial awareness, ability to budget and thinking about sustainable and cost-saving ways to manage.”
Cllr Mark Sutton, Staffordshire County Council
The council is also proposing to fund two employment advisers to help people on low incomes develop their career options.
An additional two family coaches are also set to be employed for 12 months to assist with training and support on financial planning and to work with families.
Cllr Jonathan Price, cabinet member for education, said:
“The area that particularly interested me was the education and resources – I think that’s absolutely key we support those families around managing to support themselves not only through their own budget, but reducing spend and maximising income.
“That’s something they can take forward for several years to come so that has a double benefit. It’s really welcome to see that.”
Cllr Jonathan Price, Staffordshire County Council
