West Northamptonshire Council announces free school meals vouchers for October half term

Free school meal vouchers will be issued for the duration of October half term across West Northamptonshire.

The move was announced at West Northamptonshire Council’s full council meeting on Thursday, September 29 and is the first stage of plans to share out the latest round of money from the Government’s Household Support Fund (HSF) this winter.

In this third round of HSF funding launching next month, the council will be distributing around £2.6 million from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to struggling households across West Northants.

Following a campaign by Manchester United and England footballer, Marcus Rashford, free school meals were provided in the summer holidays in 2020, after the pandemic caused financial strain for many families.

Since then, free school meal vouchers have been issued to those most in need during school holidays across the county.

Northamptonshire schools will be contacted about the plans to issue the £15 per week vouchers ahead of the half-term break, which is Monday October 24 to Friday October 28.

Councillor Matt Golby, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care & Public Health, said: “It is clear that the school vouchers issued previously have been a real support for many families during these difficult times, so we have acted quickly to ensure they will be issued in good time for the October half-term break.

“We are continuing to look at the best options for ensuring that the remainder of this HSF funding goes to those in our community who need the support most and, once finalised, will ensure residents know how to access this extra support.

Details of how to access the available funds will be released by the council in the coming weeks.

Work is also underway to shape arrangements for other elements of the scheme to ensure all the funding is distributed within the community to those people who need it most and within the guidelines provided by DWP. These future arrangements will be considered by the Council’s Cabinet on October 11.