Liverpool and Warwickshire Councils have partnered with PayPoint to provide convenient and immediate access to vital government benefits in cash this Christmas.
The councils join 96 local authorities and housing organisations across the UK that make use of PayPoint’s Cash Out solution, which has seen over £80,000 worth of government benefit vouchers being redeemed at PayPoint retailers on Christmas Day and Boxing Day alone last year and nearly £2 million during the four days leading up to Christmas Day.
This winter, vulnerable households across the UK have been given access to a new multi-million support fund from the government to help them with essentials over the coming months.
The Household Support Fund in England and Wales and the Winter Support Fund in Scotland are available to millions of households and are being distributed by councils, including small grants to meet daily needs such as food, clothing, and utilities.
While these funds are typically provided to recipients as a voucher, which can only be redeemed in a certain number of large supermarkets, limiting accessibility and choice for thousands of families, PayPoint’s alternative Cash Out solution works in real-time to seamlessly enable eligible families to receive vouchers via email, letter or SMS to be presented to obtain a cash payment at any of its retailer outlets.
Access to the Cash Out facility is via an online portal which removes the need for local authorities to invest in any development and requires minimal setup. Crucially, across the UK 99.5 per cent of the urban population live within one mile of a PayPoint store and 98.3 per cent of the rural population live within five miles of a PayPoint store.
“PayPoint is committed to helping families gain access to the financial support they need, when they need it, helping them overcome their individual challenges,” Danny Vant, client services director for PayPoint commented.
“We have been able to quickly facilitate the distribution of government benefits on mass and fast. With Cash Out, PayPoint retailers have been able to broaden their range of pay out solutions to meet the needs of all residents receiving government support, and crucially, this will continue throughout Christmas and the winter months.”
In addition to delivering immediate financial aid to families, PayPoint said the councils are also using Cash Out to reimburse the travel expenses of the volunteers who tirelessly deliver medicines and prescriptions to individuals shielding during the winter months.
Vant said: “Our Cash Out solution has proven to be a hugely viable alternative for an increasing number of authorities who want to deliver cash to their residents and volunteers as quickly and conveniently as they can. This in turn is easing the financial strain on communities across the UK, as well as supporting local businesses by encouraging more customers into local stores in the PayPoint network.”
