PLANS to cut the costs of a service bringing meals to some of the most vulnerable residents in Torfaen have been given the green light.

Torfaen council’s cabinet agreed to offer the support, as well as additional help with rising energy costs, as part of a cost of living support discretionary scheme funded by the Welsh Government.

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The new support would see the cost of community meals reduced by up to £2 per meal for 30 weeks from August to February 2023.

Currently, the cost of a meal – which includes a main course and a pudding – under the programme is £5.15 for a hot meal and £2.79 for a frozen meal.

This support will be made available to people who were subscribed to the community meal programme as of July 5.

It is estimated that around 200 meals per day will be discounted through the scheme.

A further £138,134 worth of energy vouchers will also be made available for the most vulnerable residents in the borough to help with winter fuel costs.

“We’re hopeful that that will target some of those who may not have received payments from earlier schemes,” said David Leech, the council’s chief officer for communities, customer service and digital.

On Tuesday, the cabinet approved plans to bring in both programmes of support, subject to approval from the Welsh Government.  

“It’s good that we can do what we can, with the support of the Welsh Government,” said leader Cllr Anthony Hunt.

“These things are always choices. We’ve chosen to try and zero in on specific vulnerable groups instead of, for example, just extending the scheme up the bands.

“I think that’s the right thing to do because that targets the help to those who need it most.

“That’s not to say that we can help everyone.

“We’d like to provide more, but it’s good that we can do this to help these particular groups of people with such big rises in basic costs.

“Even the support we can give is quickly swallowed up by these price increases.

“Even people who aren’t usually in need of assistance are being pulled into a poverty trap.

“It really is something we need to be very aware of.

“It can’t go on like it is at the moment.”

The council had been allocated £855,734 by the Welsh Government for its discretionary scheme, of which the cabinet approved proposals for the allocation of £633,600 of the funds in June, including additional support for households in receipt of free school meals.

This support – to nearly 3,000 homes across Torfaen – will be paid out in the next couple of weeks, the cabinet was told in Tuesday’s meeting.