Inverclyde councillors have agreed to spend £1.5m on a range of projects to target jobs, training, welfare, food and supporting the third sector.

The fund, which was agreed before Covid-19, will now target pressing issues exposed during the pandemic.

Among the projects are a local pilot furlough scheme, new food pantry shops, extra support for private rented sector tenants through the discretionary housing payments.

Inverclyde Council Leader, Councillor Stephen McCabe, said:

“The anti-poverty fund agreed earlier this year in a pre-covid world had to change to adapt to the pressing needs our community has now.

“Jobs, training, access to technology, food insecurity and supporting our third sector are priorities and we will use this fund to target these areas.

“While we have appealed to the UK Government to step back from the cliff edge of the furlough scheme in October, there is still no signs that anything will change.  We can try to support some jobs by piloting our own local scheme here in Inverclyde and we expect this to start in October.

“A one off payment of £40 to every child/young person receiving free schools meals to provide some support purchasing healthy food in the run up to Christmas will help support families at a difficult time of year.  We will also investing in three food pantries to help provide good quality food to families.

“We’ll be investing in our third sector with an extra £200,000 on top of the funding we already provide which has, through the pandemic, helped to underpin the enormous community response from our third sector colleagues.”

Employability targeted at young people over and above the local furlough scheme is the largest element of funding at £530,000.