THOUSANDS of cash-strapped families are facing another tough blow as free school meal vouchers are scrapped during the holidays.
The change affects 30,000 families living in the Isle of Wight and Hampshire.
1
Over 30,000 children received £15 holiday meal vouchers in Hampshire this year, and 3,895 children on the Isle of Wight, according to the BBC.
The help was a lifeline for families whose wages struggle to keep up with soaring inflation.
But despite climbing energy and food prices, free school meals vouchers for those residents have been scrapped, meaning many parents will now struggle to cover half-term costs.
It comes as Hampshire County Council said there is no longer sufficient funding for the scheme, meaning it cannot provide help for the May school holiday period.
The council later made a decision to help those in “urgent need” to access emergency food vouchers.
Out of the 35,000 households who were originally eligible for free school meals vouchers, only 3,895 of those have been identified as in “urgent need”.
This means 31,282 children in Hampshire won’t receive any emergency support this half term.
Instead, the council is providing broader help to vulnerable people, not just those with kids, through the Household Support Fund (HSF).
Most read in Money
Can I get free school meals elsewhere?
Free school meals are still available in other areas, depending on your eligibility.
Your child may be able to get free school meals if you get any of the following:
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
- Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
- Universal Credit – if you apply on or after April 1, 2018, your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get).
Check out the government’s website for a full list of eligibility criteria.
If you think you fit requirements, pop your postcode into the search box on the ‘Apply for Free School Meals‘ page on the government website, and it will tell you which authority to seek help from.
Meanwhile, here’s a list of other help you can get if you’re struggling to pay for essentials.
Household Support Fund
In October 2021, the HSF began dishing out cash and vouchers to struggling households to assist with living costs.
Since then, the fund has been topped up by the government, with an additional £500million in April, and it’s now set to be topped up by another £500million this October too.
Each council has been given a portion of the £500million pot, and they must use it to help local residents.
The councils have the freedom to choose how to spend their slice of the funding, with many giving out food and fuel vouchers, as well as one off payments and free school meals vouchers.
You have to meet criteria to grab the free help, but you can apply for the fund through your local authority.
Find your local council using the government’s online checker tool.
Healthy Start food vouchers
If you’re pregnant or responsible for children under four-years old, you can apply for Healthy Start food vouchers.
The vouchers can be exchanged for cows’ milk, infant formula milk, and fresh, frozen or tinned fruit and vegetables.
Previously, paper vouchers were issue, but a change to the scheme saw pre-paid cards come into effect instead.
You’ll qualify for the Healthy Start scheme if you’re at least 10 weeks pregnant or you have at least one child that’s under four.
In addition, you must be receiving any of the following:
- Child Tax Credit – only if your family’s annual income is £16,190 or less
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Pension Credit which includes the child addition
- Universal Credit – only if your family’s take-home pay is £408 or less per month from employment
You will also be eligible for Healthy Start if:
- you’re under 18 and pregnant, even if you are not claiming any benefits
- you claim income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and are more than 10 weeks pregnant
- you, your partner or your carer get Working Tax Credit run-on only after you have reported you’re working 16 hours or less per week
If you’re not a British citizen but your child is, you might still be able to get the coupons, but it depends on your immigration status.
You can get Healthy Start vouchers if all of the following are true:
- You have at lease one British child under four years old
- Your family earns £408 or less per month after tax
- You can’t claim “public funds”, such as benefits
The card will be valid at any shop that sells eligible healthy start food items such as fruit, vegetables and vitamins, and take Mastercard.
For example, supermarkets, convenience stores, pharmacies, markets and newsagents.
Money that you don’t spend will remain on the card and can be put toward healthy food another time.
You can check your balance at ATMs and your payment will automatically added – meaning you won’t have to wait for vouchers in the post.
Food banks
There are food banks nationwide, including over 1,200 Trussell Trust branches, and you can find your nearest one by typing your postcode into the online search bar on its website.
This will show you your nearest food bank and supply contact details such as emails and telephone numbers for them.
You can’t apply for help directly with a Trussell Trust foodbank, so you’ll need to get a referral from a trusted partner like Citizens Advice.
If you’re identified by a partner as in need, you’ll be given a food bank voucher to redeem.
There are around 900 independent food banks, and applications and support for these may differ, so it’s best to speak to them directly.
The Independant Food Aid Network (IFAN) has a handy map that can help you find one of these independent food banks.
Supermarket discounts
When doing your food shop, don’t forget to check whether you have accumulated any vouchers through points schemes which can get you money off your basket total.
For example, Tesco Clubcard members can gain one point for every £1 spent in-store or online, or one point for every £2 you spend on fuel.
Once you have 150 points stored, you’ll receive a £1.50 voucher, and vouchers can be redeemed towards future food shops or with Tesco partners, like Pizza Express.
It’s usually better to spend your points with a Tesco partner, as rewards are tripled when you do this.
For example, £10 worth of points can get you a £30 voucher with a Tesco Clubcard partner.
It’s more important than ever to make use of all the available help at your dispense.
Meanwhile, here’s how to make sure you get all the government’s cost of living payments – including £400 energy bill grant.
The Sun reveals a full list of people who won’t get the £400 energy bill discount automatically – including thousands of renters.
Plus, we explain which payment dates you need to know about.
We pay for your stories!
Do you have a story for The Sun Online Money team?
