Stroud MP Siobhan Bailie has welcomed the government's £400 million support package for low income families and children during a parliamentary debate yesterday.

English councils will receive £170 million of mostly ring fenced cash to help support local families with food and bills until March through the Covid Winter Grant Scheme. Gloucestershire County Council is getting over £1.5 million.

Speaking in the supporting disadvantaged families debate, Ms Baillie said: “A long-term and local approach was always going to be the best thing to help families.”

She then asked the work and pensions secretary Therese Coffey to praise local Stroud constituency groups The Long Table, the Freezers of Love initiative and Paganhill community group “and say to them that the money and the funding will be there, because they know where the families are who they can help.”

In reply the minister said: “It is nice to see my honourable friend back in the house after her maternity leave. She speaks with appropriate compassion and she recognises some of the local organisations in her area.

“I encourage her to work with them and her council to help to ensure that the £170 million funding can be effectively distributed, so that the most disadvantaged children and families are truly helped.”

Further elements of the support package include holiday food and activities programme expanded to cover Easter, summer and Christmas in 2021 in what is an up to £210million investment.

Healthy Start payments, designed to help pregnant mothers and low incomes families with young children buy fresh fruit and vegetables, is also set to rise from £3.10 to £4.25 a week from next April. Another £16 million will go to help food banks.

Speaking afterwards Ms Baillie added: “I am very pleased the government has listened and unveiled this support, which is more extensive than I hoped for and will help around 1.7 million children this winter and beyond.

“It is right ministers moved away from a food voucher scheme that mainly funds supermarkets and put this support in at a local level, where it can be channelled in the right directions by our councils. This is something I had asked ministers to consider because it is the most sustainable option. I note the footballer Marcus Rashford has welcomed the move after discussions with the Prime Minister.

“The extension to the holiday food and activities programme is also something I have called for as it creates medium to long-term support that will allow disadvantaged children access to enriching educational experiences as well as a meal.”