Poverty rate low but more Cambridgeshire food vouchers expected
More than 81,000 vouchers have been given to families in need
Last updated 27th May 2023
More than 81,000 supermarket vouchers have been given to Cambridgeshire families so far, and that number is likely to rise even further.
Over £1.8 million worth of vouchers have been claimed through the county council's scheme since last year in a bid to tackle poverty in the area.
And councillor Bryony Goodliffe, chair of the county council's children and young people committee, said feedback is good.
“We’ve had a lot of feedback from families who say it really makes a difference,” she said.
“It means at the beginning of the holidays they can go and do a bigger food shop because children at home eat a lot more than when they’re in school.”
The vouchers have been claimed since the extension of the government's Household Support Fund, which aims to support vulnerable households with needs including food and clothing, last year.
An extra £842m is being provided in England to extend the Household Support Fund to 31st March, 2024.
However, the county council are planning to run the voucher scheme until next February.
Fenland free school meal claims highest in the county
Figures from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report published this year found between 2018 and 2021, the East of England had a poverty rate of 19 per cent, one of the lowest in the UK.
In Cambridgeshire, 29.15 per cent of eligible children in Fenland received free school meals last October according to county council data, the highest rate out of any other district.
Meanwhile for the same month, South Cambridgeshire had the lowest percentage of claims with 14.94 per cent.
Cllr Goodliffe said the vouchers, which are worth £15 is a small sum but it continues to make an impact on families in need.
“It’s a drop in the ocean, but it is a significant help to those families who are used to those children having free school lunch every weekday,” she added.
“We can make that difference during the holidays to ensure they continue to get a good meal.
“We’ve committed to doing this for all eligible families and as more families become eligible, we will keep supporting them and I will be coming back to the council to fight for this again.”