Cheshire East Council to provide vulnerable families with supermarket vouchers over half term

by Lisa Reeves

Saturday 24^th October 2020

Sat 24^th Oct 2020

Cheshire East Council says it is committed to helping vulnerable children and families facing a crisis over half term.

Councillor Kathryn Flavell, Cheshire East Council cabinet member for children and families said: "Cheshire East Council is committed to helping our most vulnerable children and families and we are always at the end of the phone for anyone who is in a crisis.

"Our children's social care team and family support service continue to work tirelessly to support those who need our help during the current pandemic.

"We are fortunate to have fantastic communities in Cheshire East from businesses, schools, town and parish councils and the community, voluntary and faith sector who are all working with us to support the most vulnerable in our borough, and I thank them for all they are doing to respond to the recent government announcement regarding free school meals.

"If anyone finds themselves in a crisis over half term, we have arrangements in place to provide supermarket vouchers, so please contact our social care and early help teams either via your named support worker or calling 0300 123 5012."

Comments

Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.

Howard Piltz

Saturday 24^th October 2020 at 11:24 am

Congratulations to Cheshire East Council, this is just what Westminster should have done. It’s not too late for a ‘U-turn’

Pete Taylor

Saturday 24^th October 2020 at 1:43 pm

Such a shame that our MP could not even bring herself to vote on this.

Diane Walker

Saturday 24^th October 2020 at 7:19 pm

Errr.....that's what part of the money given to local Councils by the Government is for? There are enough benefits for parents to feed their children if they put their children before cigarettes, alcohol, iPhones and the like. Supermarket vouchers will not guarantee that they are spent on food for the kids!....

Lata Anderson

Saturday 24^th October 2020 at 10:45 pm

Diane Walker, what planet are you living on? There are so many families out there who are hard working, holding multiple jobs who then find their working hours reduced through no fault of their own yet still have to pay the rent, heating, water rates etc.
Have you tried living on the minimum wage and bringing up a family? You listen to the tittle tattle of some tabloids, read about a few people and without checking any facts brand good hard working people as scrounges. You have no idea what life will throw at you. It is not the children’s fault the position they are in. Yet you are happy for them to go hungry.
Shame on you.

Ryan Dance

Sunday 25^th October 2020 at 7:27 am

Diane - don’t be so presumptuous. Why people like you have this obsession with parents spending their money on cigarettes / alcohol is bordering on stupidity. How do you know this is the case? Which red top did you read that little gem in?

Mark Russell

Sunday 25^th October 2020 at 10:11 am

I’d have no problem with this, as long as the parents give up their fags, apple iphones, sky, etc etc. People shouldn’t be having kids and expecting the state to look after them.

Bill Bennett

Thursday 29^th October 2020 at 7:12 am

The general assumption of some of the people commenting here is, if you are unfortunate enough to receive benefits, you have an iPhone and smoke. An internet phone is a necessity for someone on benefits, food vouchers are sent electronically, so they have to have the ability to present them at the checkout. There maybe some people who smoke, but the very vast majority are decent people struggling to survive. I would bet on a proportionate basis, they’ve are as many MP’s abusing their expenses.
The facts are poverty and homelessness has increased massively in the past 10 years.
Approximately 14 million people are in poverty in the UK – more than one in five of the population, including 4 million children and 2 million pensioners, up by 400,000 and 300,000 respectively over the past five years. Many of the people living in poverty, are working families. So please don’t be so presumptuous.