Help for pensioners as Blackpool gets £1.7m of funding

Blackpool has received a further £1.7m from the government’s Household Support Fund – with £300,000 being set aside to help vulnerable pensioners including those who have lost their winter fuel allowance.

The biggest chunk of the cash will continue to be directed at families, with £800,000 being used to extend free school meals into the school holidays.

The total award for Blackpool is £1.745m to cover the six months from October to the end of March next year.

The fund was due to end in September, but the government agreed to extend it after warnings from councils including Blackpool the loss of the payments would place families in hardship over the winter.

Around 12,500 families in Blackpool have received support from previous rounds of Household Support Fund spending.

Speaking in September, Coun Jo Farrell, cabinet member for communities and wellbeing on Blackpool Council, had pledged support for pensioners.

She said: “We have used previous rounds of Household Support Fund to support residents, including our pensioners with their energy costs and we will do the same again.

“This includes those who may be impacted by the winter fuel allowance. We know that some residents may be concerned about additional costs over the winter, and we will continue to help those that are most vulnerable when we can.”

The funding includes:

Extension to free school meals – £800,000 – Eligible families will receive vouchers  distributed by schools. Vouchers will be issued at the rate of £15 per week for each child entitled to free school meals.

Pensioner support scheme – £300,000 – An application based support scheme will be developed for pensioners who may be in hardship due to the loss of the winter fuel supplement with further details to be revealed.

Care leavers – £45,000 – Vouchers will be provided for the council’s care leavers primarily to help with the increased cost of food and public transport.

Other council schemes – £40,000 – Targeted support for residents via social care, family hubs etc for those struggling with the cost of food etc.

Discretionary support scheme – £200,000 – Application based for residents facing hardship with energy bills, food etc. Residents will be able to apply for a payment to help with their power and water utility bills.

Voluntary Sector Schemes -£280,000 – Voluntary sector partners will be invited to submit funding applications for projects to support vulnerable residents such as warm hubs.

Contingency and administration expenses – £80,000