Cost-of-living: Shropshire Council offers £2.1m of winter support

About 5,200 households will get a one-off payment as part of the support, Shropshire Council said

Vulnerable residents and low income households in Shropshire will be offered an extra £2.1m in support this winter.

The measures include a one-off payment of £180 to about 5,200 homes and continuing food vouchers for children.

Shropshire Council said the money had come from the government for winter support until March.

About £220,000 of the fund will be used to help residents in debt with their energy costs as prices soar.

The local authority said people on low incomes who get housing benefit and have not had previous support from their Household Support Fund would receive the one-off payment.

While the food vouchers will go to about 7,500 children on free school meals and cover the four weeks of school holidays including Christmas.

The rest of the money will go towards a welfare support fund, which residents can apply for and to help other groups with hardship grants.

Gwilym Butler, in charge of finance for the council, said they were putting the money towards those most in need.

The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital is laying on free breakfasts for staff

Elsewhere in the county, free breakfasts have been offered to staff at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital, in Gobowen, to help with cost-of-living pressures.

The NHS trust said it carried out a staff survey and the cost of food was one of the biggest themes which emerged.

"We are an organisation that really cares for our people so this was something we felt we had to do," chief executive Stacey Keegan said.

Meanwhile Staffordshire County Council said a new £139,000 fund was aimed at supporting community groups through the cost-of-living crisis.

The cash will help them make changes to how they work to cope with rising costs, keep existing activities running and support residents with their pressures, the local authority added.