Food for kids prioritised with £1.6m support fund

Money from a scheme originally set up to help people during the Covid pandemic will be targeted at children in low income families, a council has said.

Darlington Borough Council has received £1.6m from the Household Support Fund, which was introduced in 2021 but has since been extended several times.

In a report detailing plans for the money, officials said the majority – about £885,000 – would be used to pay for food vouchers during school holidays for children usually eligible for free meals.

Councillors, who have been recommended to accept proposals to "help those who are struggling to afford household essentials", will vote on the plans on Tuesday.

The vouchers would be given to about 5,000 families in the town, while £176,000 would be spent on crisis support grants and £80,000 given to food banks.

It also said about £35,000 would be spent on school uniforms for low income families.

Darlington Council said the pot of money provided this year through the fund was 12% down on the amount it received last year.

The scheme is aimed at vulnerable people, but individual councils decide on eligibility criteria and how the money is spent.

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