Mum warns council over loss of food vouchers

A mother says the loss of food vouchers provided to families during school holidays would have "a huge impact" on her children.

Surrey County Council offers supermarket vouchers outside term time for each child eligible for free school meals, but has informed families the scheme would end after the Easter holiday.

A spokesperson told the BBC it was "considering all options" for future school holidays and would let families and schools know about new provision.

Marie Blomfield, who has three children aged between eight and 17, said the scheme "helps single women like myself".

"I'll go without in other areas for them, like luxury bits, like strawberries......... because it's too expensive in the shop," she told BBC Radio Surrey.

Blomfield added it was "outrageous" that the scheme would stop and it was "going to have a huge impact".

She said: "Everyone out there, especially parents like myself, we look forward to those vouchers because it helps towards other bits and bobs for our shopping."

Woking MP Will Forster called for the council to "reconsider this decision and work with schools and local communities to ensure no child goes hungry during the holidays".

Surrey County Council said a tranche of central government funding used to provide the vouchers would end in March but replacement funding, worth £7.1m until April 2027, was announced in December.

A spokesperson said that funding was for helping people facing "sudden money problems" and activities that help people "become more financially secure".

"As soon as this new provision is in place we will let families, schools and relevant organisations that can help with getting the support to those families that need it most know as quickly as possible," a spokesperson said.

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