FREE school meals look likely to remain available outside of term time in Greater Manchester after a ‘vital lifeline’ fund was extended.

The government’s Household Support Fund (HSF) was due to end on September 30, but it was announced on Monday (September 2) that it will stay in place for another six months.

The £421m kitty is given to councils who can use it to help residents in the cost-of-living crisis, with many choosing to spend their cash on giving free school meals to children during the holidays.

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The extension means families struggling to make ends meet in Greater Manchester can expect their children to be fed in school during the autumn half term, Christmas, and spring half term holidays. 

“We are extending the Household Support Fund for the next six months because it is a lifeline for people who are struggling with the cost of living,” said Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Liz Kendall MP in announcing the extension.

“The dire inheritance we face means more people are living in poverty now than 14 years ago – and this Government is taking immediate action to prevent a cliff edge of support for the most vulnerable in our society.”

The news comes as a relief for leaders in Greater Manchester. 

Manchester council leader Bev Craig said she ‘campaigned vociferously for the Household Support Fund to be extended, both under previous Governments and the current one’, because ‘the funding enables us to provide a vital lifeline for tens of thousands struggling to manage cost of living pressures’.

But her work isn’t done yet. She added: “Today’s announcement will ensure we can give that extra support to those who need it most and we will work with the new government to tackle the long-term root causes [of poverty].” 

It’s understood final allocations of HSF cash have not yet been determined for each council, but officials in Manchester expect both the overall national budget, and their own slice of the cake, to remain similar. That would mean the city will receive £6.45 million until March 31.

Sharing Bev Craig sentiments was Rochdale leader, Neil Emmott, who said: “The extension is to be welcomed and, alongside our helping hand cost of living package, will provide vital support for thousands of our older and vulnerable residents this winter. We will continue to work with the government to find solutions to poverty in the long-term.”

Susan Gambles, Wigan council’s executive member for added she was ‘really pleased’ with the news, calling the HSF an ‘absolute lifeline’.

While there is relief across Greater Manchester, the temporary extension means the problem of helping families through the crisis has been effectively kicked down the road until April, when the HSF is next due to close. 

A similar situation unfolded in spring, when then-Chancellor Jeremy Hunt gave the scheme another six months to live. In all, Ms Kendall’s decision is the sixth stay of execution for the HSF.