The Department for Work and Pensions have launched a COVID Winter Grants Scheme, in which funding has been allocated to local authorities across England to provide food and fuel support to vulnerable families and individuals between the beginning of December and end of March.
This funding was first announced on the 6th November, and final guidance was received from the DWP on the 24th November, 2020.
The funding asks for provision to be put in place for Christmas, and therefore funding needs to be allocated as soon as possible to enable this to happen.
Funding can be provided to third party organisations such as charities and schools.
The Director of Children & Families agreed to accept £1.6 million of this funding, which will be allocated to Children & Families, for them to distribute to schools who want to run their own scheme, and to Catering Leeds and Asda to administer a scheme for schools who do not want to run their own scheme.