Thousands of Greater Manchester families to get £15 payments during May half term

Eligible families in Oldham will receive the money to help with the cost of living

Thousands of families in Greater Manchester are set to get £15 payments during the May half-term to help prevent 'holiday hunger'.

Every child in Oldham who qualifies for free school meals is eligible for the one off payment, with schools automatically sending out the money to families in the last week of May.

Families will receive a £15 payment for each child or young person eligible for the extra financial help as part of the government's Household Support Fund.

This fund is predicted to help around 21,000 children in Oldham who qualify for free school meals.

Oldham council will also be giving out £60 per eligible child or young person for the Summer holidays and £40 for the Christmas holidays in a plea to reduce hunger amongst children who would normal get free meals when at school.

It comes after free breakfast clubs were introduced across the country in 750 primary school on April 21 , offering 30 minutes of free childcare a day as well as free food and drink to pupils.

The government started the Household Support Fund in October 2021 to help households struggling with the cost of living, in particular with things like food and energy.

It is managed by local councils who decide how to distribute the funding based on individual circumstances and needs.

The fund has been extended several times. Most recently in Oldham it was announced the government had agreed to fund the scheme for another year starting from April 1, 2025.

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When the government extended the scheme nationwide in 2024, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Liz Kendall MP called it "a lifeline for people who are struggling with the cost of living."

As well as providing funding to help families over the half term, Oldham council also provides support for families on low incomes through the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme, which runs events and activities with free hot meals for families on low incomes regardless of if they qualify for free school meals or not.

The council also offers cost of living support through the scheme by helping people with housing and giving fuel vouchers to those who are urgently struggling to heat their homes.

Other Greater Manchester councils are taking part in the scheme, with exact details of how each individual council will participate available on the council's website.

It was confirmed on April 22 that rochdale-council>Rochdale council is set to receive another £4.1 million in funding as part of the scheme, to be spent between April 2025 and March 2026.