Council Approves Extension of Food Voucher Scheme
Cambridgeshire County Council's children and young people committee has approved plans to continue providing supermarket vouchers to families receiving free school meals during the school holidays. The extension will run until September, offering financial support to eligible families in the region.
The council has allocated £2.7 million to fund the scheme. Under the new arrangement, vouchers will be valued at £10 per child per week during the holidays, a reduction from the previous £15 value.
Community Response and Concerns
Francesca Moriarty, founder of Little Buds, a playgroup in Brampton supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), expressed concerns about the future impact on families. She noted the challenges families may face after September.
"A lot of families are going to struggle after September," Moriarty said.
She acknowledged the extension as positive but criticized the reduction in voucher value, highlighting rising costs.
"The extension is good, but the reduction in voucher price is not a lot of money for a family [as] the prices of everything are going up," she said. "I think it is a poor choice that it is not going to continue for longer. It just feels like another knock for the SEND families in Cambridgeshire."
Context of Funding Changes
The decision follows the conclusion of the government's Household Support Fund (HSF), which previously assisted low-income families with essential expenses such as food and energy bills. The council had used HSF funding to provide holiday vouchers, but this support was scheduled to end on 31 March.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) confirmed that £350,000 from new funding could be allocated to cover vouchers during the Easter holidays as part of the transition from the previous funding model.
Budget Allocations and Future Planning
At a full council meeting on Tuesday, it was also agreed to reserve £1 million in the council's 2026-27 budget for investment in the scheme. Additionally, £1.3 million was identified from the council's anti-poverty reserve to support the initiative.
Edna Murphy, chair of the children and young people committee, expressed satisfaction with the council's actions to support families during this transitional period.
"While the funding from the Government's Household Support Fund has come to an end, I'm really pleased that by approving these transitional voucher amounts today we've been able to enable a smoother transition for the families affected."
She also indicated anticipation for forthcoming proposals regarding the use of new funding programmes.
Political Perspectives on Voucher Reduction
Councillor Bryony Goodliffe, Labour's spokesperson on children and young people at the county council, commented on the impact of the voucher value reduction.
"These are our families who are really struggling, and for me the impact on poverty for children is lifelong," she said.
Goodliffe announced that the Labour group plans to bring a motion to the council to utilize some of the Crisis Resilience Fund to continue voucher payments for families in need.
"Next Tuesday the Labour group are bringing a motion that we would use some of the Crisis Resilience Fund to continue to pay for vouchers for those families really in need."
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