MORE than 2,000 families in Torfaen will receive an additional £150 payment to support them during the cost of living crisis.

Torfaen council’s cabinet has agreed the allocation of a cost of living support discretionary scheme funded by the Welsh Government.

The Welsh Government’s package of measures to help people with the cost of living includes a main scheme providing a £150 payment to eligible households, as well as discretionary support.

Torfaen council has received £855,734 for the discretionary support scheme, which is intended to help families in need of help with their living costs.

At a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, councillors agreed to allocate £393,750 of the funding to provide additional support for households in receipt of free school meals.

This will result in all 2,625 households in receipt of free school meals in the borough getting an additional £150 payment over the coming months.

Cllr Anthony Hunt, leader of the council, said the payments would help some of the families facing “the biggest financial difficulties”.

He said: “2,625 of them will now get an extra £150 to help pay the bills, so that will really make the difference between them being able to pay the heating bills, or being able to feed their children or not.”

A further £200,000 will be spent on bolstering the Community Resilience Group, to improve support services and advice for residents around the cost of living.

This includes spending £90,000 on employing two financial inclusion officers, and £80,000 on two benefits maximisation officers, for one year.

Cllr Fiona Cross said the investment would support preventative action, such as helping to ensure people do not get into debt.

The remaining £39,850 will be allocated to support groups in receipt of certain council tax exemptions, who will also receive a further £150.

This will include households occupied by care leavers, by a person with severe mental impairment, full-time students, disabled residents and under 18s living independently.

Cllr David Daniels said the discretionary support scheme would have “an instant impact”, and help to support residents ahead of “probably our most difficult winter”.

“Locally this is doing exactly what we can do,” he said.

The payment will be made by the council in the coming months.

A report says the discretionary scheme has to be fully spent by September.

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