Families that have been hardest hit by the pandemic and need extra support this winter with food and bills will benefit from a new £170 million scheme unveiled by the Government.
The Covid Winter Grant Scheme will see councils across England share the money in additional, ring-fenced funding to help vulnerable families and individuals, with Buckinghamshire receiving £967,504.
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.
A further £220 million will be invested in extending the Holiday and Food Programme until next Christmas, meaning that all children eligible for Free School Meals will have the option to join a holiday-time programme that provides healthy food and fun activities during the summer, Christmas and Easter holidays next year.
Greg said: “No child should go hungry, and the extra £967,504 for Buckinghamshire builds on the governments previous programme of targeted, local support, and will ensure local families that need extra support with food and bills this winter can access it, which is very welcome news.
"I’m also pleased that the Prime Minister has announced the extension of the Holiday Activities and Food programme, which provides healthy food and activities for children during the school holidays and has a massive impact on disadvantaged young people in our community, to cover Easter, Summer and Christmas next year."
The Conservative government has invested more than £200 billion to protect people’s jobs and incomes through the furlough scheme, grants for the self-employed and other support for business and a £9.3 billion injection to strengthen the welfare safety net this year.
Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey added: “We want to make sure vulnerable people are cared for throughout this difficult time. We know this has been a challenging time for many and we have consistently supported the lowest-paid families, protecting nine million jobs with furlough and boosting welfare support by £9.3 billion.”
She added that this would provide help for those in need.
