Isle of Wight council U-turn over holiday meal voucher scheme

Isle of Wight parents were initially told the council would not fund the vouchers during the half-term break

A council has made a U-turn on its decision to provide emergency food vouchers to struggling parents, after initially scrapping free school holiday meal vouchers.

Parents on the Isle of Wight were told the council would not fund the vouchers during the half-term break.

But on Thursday the council announced it would help families in "urgent need".

It will provide a £15 voucher per child to be spent in local supermarkets.

The move affects 3,895 children, who are also eligible for free school meals during term time.

However, 31,282 children in Hampshire will not receive the emergency vouchers after the council said it could no longer afford to fund the £15 per child a week benefit.

In a statement it said: "There is no longer sufficient government funding for free holiday meal vouchers over the May half-term.

"However, we are using the new Household Support Fund to offer support to families from early June through a number of local organisations, including community pantries.

"Support will shortly be available through district and borough councils and schools, and this will complement support already in place through community organisations and Citizens Advice."

Isle of Wight and Ventnor resident Myra Butcher (left) said the U-turn was "fantastic"

For parents on the Isle of Wight eligible families must apply directly to the council before 16:00 BST on 1 June to claim their one-off voucher for the half-term week.

Isle of Wight and Ventnor resident Myra Butcher who has five children and qualifies for the voucher said: "It's fantastic, it really is but I think they could have organised a more efficient way of applying for it.

"I tried to call the hotline and was on hold for 20 minutes and I had to go and get dinner on."

Isle of Wight councillor Debbie Andre said: "We appreciate what a difference the food voucher scheme made to families with school-age children.

"We are currently working with partners to further develop the range of support that will help island residents who are finding it hard to make ends meet."

Families can check their eligibility and apply by contacting the council's Covid-19 helpline on 01983 823600.