WIRRAL foodbank is to launch a ground-breaking scheme today which will see "fuel parcels" given out to those most in need.

The initiative has been championed by Birkenhead MP Frank Field who brokered an agreement between the foodbank and energy company nPower.

It is hoped the "parcels" will help stave off prolonged periods of severe hardship for the town’s poorest residents.

In other regions, the scheme has trialled £49 Fuel Bank vouchers -  but in Wirral more people will be helped as £30 vouchers are being issued instead.

Wirral is receiving exactly the same overall funding as the other areas and the trial will determine whether this lower amount still offers enough help to households in need. 

Richard Roberts, trustee of Wirral foodbank, said: “On a daily basis, people are having to choose which bill to pay and, in some cases, are going without food the sake of their children. 

"The npower Fuel Bank will offer invaluable support and will be one less bill to worry about, giving people and support agencies time to work through the crisis and provide a more permanent solution.”  

A cross-party inquiry into the rising need for food banks, which Mr Field co-chaired last year, expressed concern too many people face a dilemma between buying food and putting money in their fuel meter as they cannot afford both - and some can afford neither.

This "fuel parcel" is expected to provide enough gas and electricity to last two weeks, to allow recipients time to get back on their feet.

Mr Field said: "This is such an important breakthrough in the fight back against hunger.

"nPower deserves huge credit for recognising and acting on our concerns about the wicked choice some of our poorest residents face between heating and eating, and the dire straits facing those who can afford neither food nor fuel.

"This single move from nPower could prevent some families from having to go several weeks without buying food or topping up their meter."

The scheme is being launched in partnership with leading anti-poverty charities The Trussell Trust and National Energy Action.

David McAuley, chief executive of Trussell Trust, said: "Wirral will be the fourth Fuel Bank to open within a Trussell Trust Foodbank since April to help people facing financial hardship that in many cases leaves them both hungry and in fuel poverty."

Jenny Saunders, chief executive of National Energy Action, said: “More than two million households live in fuel poverty in England, many of whom are required to make stark choices between ‘heating or eating’.

"During times of crisis low-income households face considerable challenges in balancing competing demands on their household budget and making ends meet.

"NEA is delighted to be supporting the fuel bank pilots, which are reaching out to some of the most vulnerable people in our society and helping them to have both food and heat/power at a time of crisis.”

Among those supporting the fuel bank is Maria, 54, who lives in Rock Park, Birkenhead and recently found work after being unemployed.

She told the Globe during this morning's launch: "The fuel bank voucher will certainly help people in a similar situation that I was in.

"I had been unemployed for a short time and the food bank really helped me after I found a new job as a caterer at Chester Zoo..

"I had just started my new work and had to wait six weeks to get paid.

"I had no money at all and couldn't afford to put the gas on. So this voucher will help people eat and heat."