Stockport Council relaunching Family Support Vouchers to help residents with the cost of living

Stockport Council are relaunching Family Support Vouchers this Summer, as part of the Household Support Fund to help families with cost of living pressures.

Stockport Council relaunching Family Support Vouchers to help residents with the cost of living

The Family Support Voucher scheme is open to eligible families, which include those with children receiving Free School Meals (FSM), early years and Post-16 equivalent, and those (with children) in receipt of Local Council Tax Support and/or Housing Benefit. Eligible families will receive a £105 voucher per child, to help alleviate the financial strain of the current cost of living.

All vouchers will be distributed in late July. Vouchers for children who receive free school meals will be sent via email, if the Council possesses an email address for the eligible family. Families with children eligible for vouchers through Local Council Tax Support and/or Housing Benefit from Stockport Council will receive vouchers via post. All families who think they may be eligible are encouraged to set up an online account to ensure that their details are up to date here.

Councillor Jilly Julian, Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources, said: “We know that times continue to be hard in this ongoing cost of living crisis, and we want to do all we can to help residents across Stockport, especially households with young families. The family support vouchers will be distributed before the end of July, providing vital support to those who are eligible. We hope they will reduce some of the financial pressures that many face over the summer, such as navigating the school holiday and buying uniforms for the coming year. It’s so important that everyone living in our borough is aware of and can access the support available to them – you can find out more on our cost of living support web pages.”

Additionally, residents facing financial crises can call the council’s dedicated cost of living advice line to access a range of support, which may include referrals to food banks, aid with gas and electricity costs, assistance with Council Tax or rent support. To reach the advice line, call 0161 474 2140 Monday to Friday, 9:30am to 4pm. For more information about the range of support available, visit the council’s cost of living webpages, which list the range of support available to residents.

The HAF programme will also be running this summer, supporting close to 2500 children on income based free school meals in Stockport to access funded holiday club spaces. From sports, to baking, media workshops to silent discos, there will be something interesting for all. There will be SEND specialist providers delivering clubs, youth organisations offering clubs for teens, VCSFE sector organisations, childcare providers and sports clubs, giving children as much variety as possible to chose the right place for them.  If you have any questions regarding the HAF programme please get in touch with the team: haf@stockport.gov.uk”.