Nearly £1m to be spent on supporting need Hartlepool households

Hartlepool Borough Council’s finance and policy committee has heard the local authority had been allocated £993,021 as part of the Government’s £500million household support fund.

Councillors agreed to use £640,000 to support families by providing £80 in food vouchers to be distributed to all children eligible for free school meals aged 2-18.

The funds will be provided in two £40 payments, one in mid December and one in early February, and they will come in the form of pre-loaded supermarket cards to be spent in Tesco and Morrisons on food.

Council officers said this option allows them to batch purchase and directly distribute the cards, avoiding having to use online services to offer them, risking digital exclusion.

Labour’s Cllr Pamela Hargreaves said: “That will be a massive lifeline to those children and families that need it.

“It’s a small dent in the massive problem and the misery families face all the time.

“They’re going to get one of them at Christmas, how many other things are they missing out on at Christmas if they need £40 to feed their children at that time?”

Elsewhere £80,000 will go towards the Hartlepool Local Welfare Support Scheme to help residents in need with food, fuel and household goods.

The housing advice team is to receive £60,000 to support those who are at risk of eviction due to housing and council tax arrears while £15,000 is to go to Anglian Water, to help tackle water poverty.