Hundreds of thousands of pounds have been made available for struggling families in Knowsley as the cost of living crisis begins to bite.
Knowsley Council announced it is ploughing over £400k into its “better together fund”, topping up nearly £1.9 million in support from the government to be spent over winter to help people struggling amid spiralling costs.
The council has now put over £3.4m into its hardship fund to support residents with school uniforms, the creation of warm hubs and housing support.
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This is on top of government funding totalling over £5m to the borough from its Household Support Fund.
The government funding is being used to fund free school meals for 8,500 children in Knowsley, support vulnerable residents, ensure foodbank supplies and fund community food initiatives.
Families identified as needing tailored support through adult social care and children’s services are also being assisted through the fund.
Knowsley Council cabinet member for resources, Cllr Jayne Aston said the council is also continuing to lobby the government for additional support.
Cllr Aston said the council is aiming for a “package of support that will help residents to thrive and not just survive.”
She added: “This latest Household Support Fund allocation, along with our own Knowsley Better Together Hardship Fund, is being used to target those areas that we know our residents need and rely on – food and heating are the key priorities.
“We know that food supplies in our Food Banks and through the community food partners are running low and demand for such support will only increase over the coming weeks and months. It was essential that they are effectively funded in order to provide essential food supplies to our residents when they need it.
“The funding we have received so far from the Government is nowhere near enough to support our communities and we are once again having to fill the gap. We have had to bolster the Knowsley Better Together Fund to provide residents with Warm Hubs for example.
“We are doing all that we can to support our communities through the cost of living crisis. We know that more needs to be done and we are working with our partners to identify where we have gaps and how we can effectively fill those gaps.
“We are also continuing to lobby the Government for fairer funding – areas have different challenges and needs, and funding allocations need to reflect that.”
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