Families facing the ‘greatest hardship’ in one Oxfordshire district will receive £100-worth of food vouchers in the run-up to Christmas.

Cllr Phil Chapman of Cherwell District Council said qualifying households in the north Oxfordshire district would hear about the two £50 food vouchers ‘in the coming weeks’.

The move came as council officials and organisations from across Oxfordshire met online last week to discuss support for the county’s most vulnerable as the cost of living crisis bites deeper.

Mr Chapman said after the event: “North Oxfordshire includes some of the most economically deprived wards in the county and our attendance at this roundtable event reflects our commitment to working across the Oxfordshire system to make sure the help given to all our residents reflects their level of need.”

Last month, Oxfordshire County Council’s ruling cabinet agreed a £2m pot to fund a list of proposals to help those in need over the winter.

Those proposals included making permanent an emergency welfare scheme that sees, for example, grants being given to families unable to claim through national energy support schemes or food to be bought for pre-school children.

Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for public health Cllr Mark Lygo said: “We’re all looking with increasing concern at the financial pressures many of our residents face as we head towards the winter.”

He added of last week’s cost of living crisis roundtable meeting: “We wanted to take this opportunity to bring organisations across the county together to share information about our respective responses to the cost of living crisis and reinforce our common purpose.”

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This story was written by Tom Seaward. He joined the team in 2021 as Oxfordshire's court and crime reporter.  

To get in touch with him email: Tom.Seaward@newsquest.co.uk

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