Free school meals to continue over the holidays in Devon

Devon County Council has revealed that more than 21,000 supermarket vouchers, worth over £900,000, have been sent to low-income families in Devon to help them buy food over the winter school holidays.

Every child in the county who is eligible for free school meals during term time has received a £45 voucher to spend during the Christmas holiday and February half term break to replace the meals they would have had at school during the day. This is the equivalent of £15 per child per week of the school holidays.

The vouchers are being distributed in one lump sum to allow families flexibility and also help with the added financial pressures of the festive period. The vouchers can be redeemed in major supermarkets across the country.

The funding for the vouchers has come from the Government’s series of Household Support Funds, which is allocated to councils for them to help residents who are struggling to meet their food, energy, water and other essential living needs.

Councillor Roger Croad, cabinet member for Communities, said: “We’ve been sending eligible families these holiday vouchers since December 2020 thanks to Government funding, and have so far spent over £12 million to help prevent children going hungry over the school holidays.

“It’s a mark of the economic situation we’re in that this year the number of children eligible for free school meals has risen to a record high. It’s gone up from 16,000 three years when we started sending these vouchers in 2020, to some 21,000 now. That’s around a fifth of the total number of pupils in Devon’s schools.

“As we move into colder winter months, and with the cost of food, energy, water and other essential items remaining high, household budgets are really stretched. The financial challenges faced by some families can be intensified during the school holiday because of increased costs such as food, especially with the current cost of living, and reduced incomes due to childcare. We are concerned that for some, this winter is going to be especially difficult.

“Thankfully the Government’s decision to continue it’s ‘household support fund’ for now means we’ve once again been able to buy these supermarket vouchers to support families during the summer so their children don’t go hungry.

“And we are continuing to work with our local government, voluntary and community sector partners to use the rest of Devon’s latest £10 million share of the Government’s Household Support Fund to make sure we identify those who are struggling so we can make sure they get the help they need.

“If you’re struggling financially, for whatever reason, please take some time to look at our website and check what support you may be eligible for, and refer back to it if your circumstances change over the coming months.”