Hundreds of children will receive free school meals over the half-term break, as part of a new scheme by North Tyneside Council to combat ‘holiday hunger’.
The council’s Cabinet approved plans to extend the provision of free school meals to school holidays at their meeting on September 21, as part of the first phase of funding allocations from the council’s £1m Poverty Intervention Fund.
The council has acted quickly to ensure that hundreds of children will benefit during the autumn break and has plans to roll out the scheme for the Christmas holidays too.
The council has been working with some schools to identify those most in need and is working with its community and voluntary sector partners to distribute food hampers to families in need, including activities for children to enjoy at home.
The initiative is one of four to receive support through North Tyneside Council’s Poverty Intervention Fund, which is part of the council’s budget for 2020/2021.
The extra support for families comes after central Government rejected a motion to extend free school meals over the half-term and winter holidays, following a campaign by footballer Marcus Rashford.
North Tyneside’s Deputy Mayor, Councillor Bruce Pickard, brought forward the proposals.
He said: “We have been working on this plan since long before the pandemic struck. It was badly needed then, and it is even more urgently needed now, as our most vulnerable residents continue to be the worst-affected by this crisis.
“The scheme aims to support some of our poorest communities at a time that has brought additional financial challenges for many, particularly for those who access free school meals during term time.
“No child should be a victim of ‘holiday hunger’ and it is a shameful thing that we, as a comparatively wealthy country, should allow this to happen. We are committed to working with our schools and partner organisations to put a stop to this.”
The Poverty Intervention Fund aims to help reduce the impacts of poverty on families and individuals and address the many ways living in poverty can affect people - from a financial, social and health perspective.
Families who are entitled to free school meals will also receive help with the cost of school clothing, including winter coats and shoes.
Money will also go towards ‘poverty proofing’ measures for every school in the borough. The scheme helps to identify and break down barriers to education caused by poverty and has been running successfully in a number of North Tyneside schools since 2011, in partnership with Children North East.
A benefits take-up campaign will help people, especially older people, navigate the benefits system and make sure they are claiming money that is rightfully theirs.
The council has been working in partnership with a range of stakeholders to determine how best to target the funding and get a clearer picture of poverty in the borough.
