Council leader Dave Stewart has confirmed that the Isle of Wight Council remains committed to ensuring all Island children and families in need of vital food support, both during school holidays and at other times, get access to all possible available help.
The move comes following the national debate about the provision of free school meals during the school holidays and at a time when the Council are aware of the significant and increasing numbers of deprived families on the Island.
Councillor Stewart has today said:
“In the short term we have committed extra money to the ‘Help Through Crisis’ scheme which is already operating to provide crucial help to those Islanders struggling to afford food and other essentials during the pandemic. I am sure we will be able to find more money if required. I do not want any Island child to go hungry.
“The Help Through Crisis scheme provides the simplest and quickest way for us to support families during this half term. I would urge any affected family to contact Citizen’s Advice IW, which manages the programme on 823859 or the website at www.islehelp.me/help-through-crisis to find out how to access these schemes, so they can have the necessary support in place.
“The Help Through Crisis scheme provides access to emergency food parcels and other food provision support – linking with the Isle of Wight Foodbank and other local community food provision such as Ventnor Foodbank, Ryde Aspire, West Wight Food Support, and Sandown Free Food; also ‘Baby Box’ to provide support for families experiencing food crisis for babies and toddlers.
“Additional support is also available through the council’s Children’s Services as part of its normal arrangements for child care and support. Any family in need should not feel concerned about contacting the council and getting support – we are there to help and if necessary people can use our helpline 823600.
Councillor Paul Brading, Cabinet member for Children’s Services said:
“The issue of supporting vulnerable young people is something which is close to my heart as I know it will be for all Islanders and councillors and is something to consider in everything we do. Working together to ensure our vulnerable children get a meal every day, not just when they are at school, should be our minimum expectation.
“Therefore, I and my Cabinet colleagues will work quickly over the coming weeks to develop a stand alone support package for all vulnerable children and families over the Christmas period and which could be repeated during other school holidays throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. This will include a simpler way of distributing the support to avoid families falling into crisis and leaving Help Through Crisis to assist those in the most urgent need of help.”
Councillor Stewart added:
“I know there are many on the Island who have similar views and will support the Christmas initiative being proposed. I am keen to move on from the political debate about the issue and will look for consensus across the council chamber that this is the right thing to do. I would also like to thank and pay tribute to all those organisations and businesses on the Island which have stepped in to provide vital extra help in this area both throughout the pandemic and in recent days. So let’s all work together to tackle this community need.”
virtue signalling – and laying the foundations to justify council tax increases next year.
we are not responsible for other peoples kids.
So, what are the parents spending the child benefit on, the income support on, the tax credits on then – as most are claiming universal credit, meaning the rent is paid and most, if not all the council tax, then they have money for food.
giving them the ability to avoid having to pay out to feed their own damned kids, will just ensure that they are able to confidently spunk another £30 a week benefit money on booze, fags and gear.
and the gullible mugs are happy to pay for this through increased taxes.
you had the kid – you pay for it.
You obviously know nothing about the real world in your ivory tower.The money for food and bills goes towards the rent that the housing benefit doesn’t cover it only covers council housing rent most rents on this island are private from greedy landlords letting out unfit for humans to live in properties at an extortionate rent.They have to choose to keep the roof over their childrens heads or feed them
SR Richards
that is garbage – if you are on benefits, your circumstances are assessed and you have a right to appeal – the child benefit is for food – if you are so stupid that you spend it on rent, then more fool you.
if you are living in a property that is more expensive than your benefit package, then guess what ..you move somewhere cheaper, with a social fund loan/grant. If you have kids and the landlord decides to end your tenancy, then you are entitled to be put in temp accom by the council if you become homeless.
stop bleating and expecting five star treatment at the expense of the taxpayer – if you cannot support yourself, you get the bare minimum – we are not here just to pay for your living expenses
leeches.
Firstly I don’t have young children so don’t receive any benefits. I have worked with disadvantaged children though. If you care to check the LHA rates on this island you will find as of March 2020 they have been at the same rate for many years when rents are constantly rising for a 1 bed property they were £91 a week a 2 bed £121 a week and so on, they have gone up very slightly since March 2020 only due to the virus. If you then look at rightmove to rent Isle of Wight you can see the average rental prices that are continuing to rise monthly.Approx on average £200 per month is needed to top up these rents, if people who are receiving benefits most through no fault of their own and because of the greedy tory government who don’t give a sh**t for anyone apart from the rich, they have to use their other benefits to top up the rent.There are then many children who didn’t ask to be born going hungry and cold.You then say the council will help them if they can’t afford the rent so stop paying it.It is the councils policy to NOT help anyone who has stopped paying their rent.Sometimes this can lead to children having to go into care. In exceptional cases when councils will help the parents and children are put into a hostel type accommodation whole families sharing one room and bathrooms with other families for many months.Do these children deserve this when surely it would be easier to just help feed them
SR Richards – it doesn’t matter which way you cut it – those parents get child benefit to pay for food for the kids – if they spend it on anything else, other than food, then it is neglect and they deserve to have the kids taken into care.
it doesn’t matter what a landlord charges – if a family or single parent with kids is made homeless due to not paying rent or not affording it, they are provided with temporary accommodation until a place is found – pretty straightforward – kids in this country are never left to sleep rough on the streets.
stop making excuses – if you haven’t got the cash to support yourself and your family then, you get the bare minimum, – why should other taxpayers work hard all day, just to see more taken in taxes and handed to those on benefits.
so what if they are living in one room for months – why should they be given a nice free home, when the rest of us are expected to work for it. If they want a nice house – get a damned job and pay for one. Stop expecting the rest of us to carry you.
leeches
Rubbish. Housing benefit and Council Tax subsidise is given to both council AND Private rental housing.
IF you are so poor that you cannot hardly fend for yourself, then only a very selfish, person would bring other lives into their impoverished, depressing world of living ‘hand to mouth’.
And it must be said, that many of these ‘innocent’ children of these social parasites then are the most horrid children often being the most disruptive in class, often into petty crime from an early age, and more serious crime in their early teens.
They are not doing so ‘because’ they are hungry, but because they are not really wanted by the sper m donner and w omb owner, just the easy lifestyle having such bring. So, we need to CUT the amount given to those having children relying on state charity to ‘keep’ them, as whilst the gullible will provide food, WHO will provide the love, the care, the attention that these children need to stop them growing up like their ‘parent’ or rarely ‘parents’, to prevent them being the SAME problem for the next generation.
We need to give IF ANYTHING food, clothing vouchers to the poor, so they can’t spend it elsewhere, and to let them feel just what they are, ‘charity’ kept beings, not the arrogant, ‘I got a right’ type we now see swanning around whilst the rest of us work to keep their numerous clones.
Well not garbage by anymeans you obv dont live in the real world of benefit fraud and cash in hand then!They DONT all pay there own rent from there handouts…they DON’T need too have loads of kids .which are defo NOT anyone else’s problem.buying weed cars drink and all other luxuries.yes it’s true.goes on in most houses .my prev young neighbours claiming for 1 & child but bf there too !this type of sponging has gone on from day one.now she has a house from her lies.
So parents aren’t all as inocent with all this feed my kids shit .reality check mush
So parents are given money…it’s not our fault they squander it
Could help all of us, by reducing the poll tax. Not preparing a list to justify the next rip off, coming in 2021.
Why? What exactly are their parents spending the money we already give them on? Sky? Mobiles? Alcohol or worse? Stop pandering to these scroungers.
Perhaps next year, we should all refuse to pay our council tax, they can’t jail us all, as I strongly object to paying more to feed those who can’t be arsed to use FREE contraception, knowing suckers who now pay for their children’s home, c. tax, heating, clothing, NHS treatment and those ‘trying’ to educate it, will now want us to feed the clones, who will then grow up EVEN more used to scrounging off the state.
People choose to waste their cash, then their children should suffer and then the authorities should jail the parents for neglect, not expect others to pay for their ‘one night stands’ resulting clone.
they are given child benefit – that money is for their kids – what have they done with it, if it wasn’t spent on food for the kid, as it is intended
done it all in the pub or on the new mobile contract probably.
All child tax credits and child allowance should be paid in vouchers only redeemed by the holder with photo id.
Deeming? Hard luck, so is scrounging free food for what YOU decided to have.
as they have been paid child benefit and it should be spent on feeding the kid, the parents should be arrested, if the kid hasn’t eaten, the kids taken into care and the parents jailed on charges of child neglect. They should then both be sterilised before being released, so that they cannot create any more little burdens for other people to pay for.
if an absent parent isn’t paying for a kids upkeep, then they need arresting, jailing and sterilising. That includes both males and females.
A hole
Feel free to crawl in it and stay there
Yes anyone having one or more should be sterilized it should be law
Stu…you are the only “pratt” & “ahole” on here lets be honest now
It worked for Dominic Cummings
Ah the sponger. Apparently too ill to work, yet by the ‘miracle’ of ‘cash in hand’ work, can then easily manage that. Sussed.
Pratt
I agree these people need to go back to basics cook from scratch I can make a chicken last 3 days with good meals. These girls have kids and dont know how to look after them, there humans not dolls…. stop painting your nails and learn to cook. And stop having kids you can’t afford. We should only allow one child per single mother. The rest of them are mistakes in my day it was frowned upon unmarried mothers….. so think yourselfs lucking. But for us its unlucky as were paying for you.
Perhaps while they are about it, they will ensure I, as a pensioner, get free gas and electricity.
joe – they should simply replace the state pension with an account at tesco/southern electric/southern water and british gas – you use what you need, the companies bill the state – might as well, seeing as they are handing out cash to feckless parents.
Pratt
Do you know any other words or is that all your vocabulary consists of you are a good advert for education NOT