By Council pledges emergency payment for children entitled to free school meals
North East Lincolnshire Council will offer support to children who are entitled to free school meals to make sure youngsters do not go hungry this half term, it was announced today.
Plans have been revealed to offer a £10 contribution to food for each child entitled to free school meals – some 5,700 in this area.
Leader councillor Philip Jackson said: “Over the weekend I said that we were exploring options on how we could support struggling families over the school break.
“I am now pleased to confirm that emergency funds will be made available and we will be offering families a one-off payment to ensure that no child in our area goes hungry this half term.
“We are now working up plans to ensure families can access this support as soon as possible and will be publishing more details in the coming days.”
He added: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank those businesses and community groups that have come forward since the vote in Parliament last week to offer support for families in our area.
“These are unprecedented times and so many families have been impacted by Covid-19.
“If you are struggling, I would urge people to get in touch with the council to find out about the additional support available, including council tax relief and £500 Covid-19 support payments.”
These payments are from additional funds directly from the council, and are extra to other increases in national benefits for low income families.
Grimsby’s Conservative MP Lia Nici was absent from the vote that saw the government reject the opposition’s proposal to provide underprivileged children with food vouchers for school holidays until Easter 2021, while Cleethorpes’ Conservative MP Martin Vickers voted against the move.
This would have continued the scheme in place throughout the summer holidays following a campaign by footballer Marcus Rashford.
To find out more about support available to those struggling during the Covid-19 pandemic, visit www.nelincs.gov.uk/coronvirus or call 01472 313131.
Photo: Jonathan Borba
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