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Suffolk MP warns of risk to children as food vouchers end

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 22 Oct, 07:38 · Archive

Suffolk County Council is ending supermarket vouchers for families of free school meal children during holidays.

Suffolk County Council is ending supermarket vouchers that families of free school meal children have received during school holidays. The vouchers had been funded since 2020 through temporary national government-funding schemes.

The council is replacing them with Labour's Crisis and Resilience Fund, a multi-year government initiative designed to support low-income households facing financial shocks. Under the previous system, the council received £10.2 million per year. The new fund provides £10.1 million per year, plus an additional £1.7 million to support heating oil users.

MP Patrick Spencer, shadow education under-secretary, warned that the change could leave vulnerable children without support. He said: 'School holidays can be an expensive time for families struggling to make ends meet.' Spencer called for the replacement scheme to be 'straightforward to access and responsive to families facing genuine hardship', cautioning that children must not 'miss out on essential support simply because their parents struggle to navigate a complicated application process'. The council said the vouchers had been a 'valued' source of help for families and confirmed the change does not affect children's eligibility for free school meals during term time.

Suffolk MP warns of risk to children as food vouchers end
Image: East Anglian Daily Times

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In this story: Patrick Spencer · Suffolk County Council · Suffolk · Central Suffolk and North Ipswich

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