Free school meal vouchers for eligible Nottinghamshire children during holidays

The announcement comes after concerns were raised by some councillors the scheme was not going ahead during the school holidays, with fears the council was instead prioritising play events offering free food to families.

Information on how to access the vouchers will be provided on the council’s website, with a leading councillor confirming schools have also been informed about the voucher scheme.

Thousands of children are eligible for the vouchers across Nottinghamshire, with 23,649 eligible in April 2021, and about 25,000 now.

Coun Tracey Taylor, council children and young people’s committee chairman, said: “The council will, once again, be providing the free school meal vouchers to thousands of Nottinghamshire children during the Easter holidays.

“The scheme will again be using money from the Government’s Household Support Fund following the Chancellor’s announcement that he’s doubling the investment to £1 billion.

“This is great news for the 25,000 eligible youngsters across the county, who will receive 125,000 meal vouchers.

“It confirms our ongoing commitment to helping low-income households as we continue to recover from the effects of the Covid pandemic.”

She said parents in the county can find out if their child is eligible for free school meal vouchers by visiting the authority’s website, but a link will also be provided on the Holiday and Activity Fund page.

The value of the vouchers was doubled during the February half-term holiday from £15 to £30-per-week.

The authority said this includes £15 to help feed the child and an additional £15 to help families meet cost-of-living increases.