East Sussex County Council (ESCC) has ceased providing summer holiday supermarket vouchers for families eligible for free school meals, citing changes to a government scheme. This shift means these families will no longer automatically receive food vouchers during school breaks.
MP Helena Dollimore has criticized the council's decision. However, council leader Andy Woolley stated that a new fund established by the council is intended to offer support to households facing immediate financial hardship and to foster long-term financial resilience, rather than providing universal holiday food vouchers. "This fund would provide support to households experiencing immediate financial hardship and to help build longer-term financial resilience, rather than providing universal holiday food vouchers to all families eligible for free school meals," Woolley said.
Similar initiatives are being implemented by councils nationwide. An ESCC spokesperson indicated that the council will allocate £7.3 million over the next year to assist residents experiencing financial difficulties. This funding will support services such as debt advice, community food initiatives, the expansion of holiday clubs that include meals, and aid for households with essential costs like food and utilities.
A spokesperson for the Department for Work and Pensions clarified that guidance for the Cost of Living Relief Fund (CRF) explicitly allows councils to use vouchers to support children on free school meals during holidays. The department has communicated this to local authorities. The spokesperson added, "Authorities have the discretion to design their own schemes, within the CRF guidance, to ensure the poorest children do not go hungry."