Free school meal vouchers are to be scrapped for Norfolk children over the Easter holiday, the county authority has confirmed, in a move which has been criticised by opposition politicians.
Conservative-run Norfolk County Council (NCC) has provided free school meal vouchers for thousands of children during every holiday since Christmas 2020, following a campaign from Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford and a government u-turn on the issue.
The vouchers are given to children from low-income families who would otherwise struggle to pay for meals. Figures from December 2020 showed that 27,000 children in Norfolk received them.
But NCC has said that during this Easter holiday - which runs from Monday April 4 until Tuesday April 19 - they will no longer be distributed.
It has instead suggested families send their children on the council's 'Big Norfolk Holiday Fun' programme of activities - in which a free lunch is provided for those who receive free school meals in term-time - or that they apply for help through a separate programme, the Norfolk Assistance Scheme.
It has also committed to develop a new scheme to address hardship, using new money announced by chancellor Rishi Sunak last week, but it has not confirmed whether this will be in place in time for the Easter holidays.
Liberal Democrat councillor Steffan Aquarone is among those to have attacked the decision.
“We are in the midst of a cost of living crisis, which the government has failed to address, and now families are having the rug pulled from under them this Easter," he said.
“The county council needs to re-evaluate this decision urgently. We already know that people have been forced to choose between heating and eating due to surging energy bills, and now the Conservatives have chosen to compound the misery of some of the most vulnerable in our communities.”
He added: “We want the government to permanently extend eligibility for free school meals so no child living in poverty misses out, and guarantee vouchers for all future school holidays. We are supposed to be a civilised country and yet our children are going hungry.”
In a statement, NCC leader Andrew Proctor said: “We completely understand the cost of living is increasing, and some households may continue to need extra support over the Easter break.
“We would always encourage any parents who might need extra help to contact us on 0344 800 8020, so that we can help ensure they are getting the support that they need.”
He outlined the alternative schemes for supporting children during the holidays and welcomed the fact that the chancellor had, in his spring statement last week, committed a further £500 million to help councils across the country support families in need.
"We are developing a new scheme to address hardship using this funding, which aims to make the best use of the money to help a broader cohort of families in need. Further details will be announced about this soon."
In other parts of the country, councils are taking various approaches to providing for low-income households over the holidays.
Cumbria County Council, run by a Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition, has announced that it will use its share of the £500m boost to continue providing free school meal vouchers throughout the holiday.
Labour-run Birmingham City Council has meanwhile announced that, like Norfolk, it will be scrapping the vouchers in favour of "providing a range of free holiday activities and meals".
Anger over the move in Norfolk was also expressed by Labour councillor Julie Brociek-Coulton and Green councillor Paul Neale, at a meeting on Monday (March 2028).
Mr Brociek-Coulton said: “The food and fuel crisis is driving people into absolute poverty.
“Help from the Norfolk Assistance Scheme and the excellent staff who run it, and that supplied through other channels, can only do so much…
She added that now was "the worst time to stop school holiday vouchers for those on free school meals", as families faced a "spiralling" cost of living.
Mr Neale pointed out that “the Big Holiday Fun programme has limited capacity and is not appropriate to all children” and asked how NCC will ensure “children don’t go hungry in Norfolk”.
On NCC’s forthcoming initiative to help families who use free school meal vouchers, a council spokeswoman said: “We are waiting for further details from the government, which we anticipate we will receive very soon, before we launch our new scheme.”
Further information on the Big Norfolk Holiday Fun programme, which includes free lunches for those eligible for free school meals, can be found here: https://www.norfolk.gov.uk/what-we-do-and-how-we-work/campaigns/big-norfolk-holiday-fun
Further information on the Norfolk Assistance Scheme, for those facing financial hardship, can be found here: https://www.norfolk.gov.uk/care-support-and-health/support-for-living-independently/money-and-benefits/norfolk-assistance-scheme
Marcus Rashford’s campaign
Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford has led a campaign to ensure the government provides local authorities with the money for free school meal vouchers to be distributed during the holidays.
The sportsman grew up in poverty, and has talked publicly about how his mother had to work multiple jobs to feed their family, sometimes skipping meals herself to ensure he and his siblings ate.
Mr Rashford began campaigning for free school meals in the summer of 2020, when he succeeded in forcing the government to u-turn over their plan not to provide the vouchers during that holiday.
How did the scheme work?
During recent school holidays, the government has provided councils with funds, which are then passed onto schools.
Those schools order the supermarket gift cards for pupils using an online service and families can receive the codes by email or in the post.
The vouchers were generally to the value of £15 per child per week.
The cash for the vouchers was renewed by the chancellor last week - but councils can chose to spend it how they wish. In Norfolk, it is going towards the new 'hardship' scheme.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here