Support for Families in Need over the Winter Period.
It has been agreed that over the Winter Period, families across Stockport will receive support from the Council for the cost of their food and utility bills this Christmas.
Families of 7,500 school age children, who are eligible for income-based Free School Meals, will receive a £30 voucher, (£15 per week) per eligible child to help with the costs of food, utilities and other essentials this winter. A second payment will follow in the New Year.
Eligible families do not need to apply. The Council is working with Stockport schools and colleges to identify the vulnerable families in need of support and will issue vouchers directly. The vouchers will be sent directly to families in the coming weeks via email. Those families without email access will receive their vouchers by post.
Vouchers will be issued to eligible families via PayPoint to the email address we hold for the family. An email outlining the offer will be sent from the Council to eligible families this week. This will be followed by a second email later in the week from PayPoint. The email from PayPoint will include a barcode or voucher number which needs to be presented to a cashier at one of the many PayPoint outlets across the borough. A full list can be found by using the search function on the PayPoint website (https://consumer.paypoint.com/). Upon presenting the voucher, the cashier will provide the appropriate cash value. Please note that the vouchers must be redeemed within 21 days.
Please can we remind families, if their child receives universal FSM, (Reception, year 1 and year 2) but the family are also eligible for benefit related FSM and have not completed the application process, please can we encourage them to do so https://www.stockport.gov.uk/free-school-meals
Information and contact details will be sent out with the vouchers if parents/ carers have any queries or require additional support.
In the meantime, families can contact the Coronavirus Welfare Line on 0161 217 6046.