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Plan for £4.4m more cost-of-living support in Oxfordshire
14/05/2024
Last year 15,000 children were given free school meals during school holidays
More cost-of-living support for Oxfordshire residents is on the way. Oxfordshire County Council’s Executive have this afternoon approved a plan worth £4.392m.
Most of the money comes from the government’s Household Support Fund, with a stipulation that it must be spent before the end of September.
During the last financial year the Council spent £9.52m on cost-of-living support. £6.7m of this came from the same government fund. The Council added £2.3m from its own budget and an additional £500,000 from a previously agreed Emergency Welfare fund.
The money was used to provide 15,000 children with free school meals during school holidays at a cost of £3.5m. Housing Benefit Cost of Living payments of £450 were made to 3,650 households where this is the only benefit received. These were mainly pensioners.
A further 3,600 households received a share of £750,000 to provide crisis support for food costs, energy prepayment costs and essential household items.
Proposals for how the latest funding will be spent include continuing the holiday free school meals and residents support schemes, alongside money for advice services and support for the Period Poverty initiative which was launched last year.
Published: by Banbury FM Newsteam