Dorset Council make plans to feed children over Christmas holidays

It's after the government voted against extending free school meals over the school holidays.

Author: Trevor BevinsPublished 28th Oct 2020

DORSET Council says it is working with local voluntary organisations to ensure no children go hungry during the half-term break.

It is also planning to make arrangements for the Christmas and New Year holiday.

Said Cllr Andrew Parry, Portfolio Holder for Children, Education, Skills and Early Help: "No child should go hungry, and Dorset Council has arrangements in place to help provide food for struggling families. Any family struggling at this time can either contact us directly on 01305 221000 or Dorset Citizen's Advice on Freephone 0800 144 8848. We will ensure they get the help they need."

The Council says it has been working with local volunteers, food banks and community groups throughout the COVID pandemic to ensure a network of support is in place for vulnerable people.

THE number of households on Dorset’s social housing waiting list is expected to fall in the New Year. Housing brief holder at Dorset Council, Cllr Graham Carr-Jones, says he expects that a review of the register when people will be asked to sign up again, will produce a significant drop in numbers. He also claims that prospects for social housing at the moment are much better than they have been in Dorset for some years – with 500-600 potentially suitable properties being planned. But despite his optimism, at best only 1,000 households a year from the list, find somewhere suitable to live. Said Dorchester councillor Stella Jones at a committee meeting on Tuesday: “If 6,000 households are on the list and only 1,000 are being allocated, that’s 5,000 who are disappointed…it will be unlikely that most will be offered a home unless they are essential workers or an emergency…what we need is more houses to offer,” she said. Cllr Carr-Jones told a committee meeting on Tuesday that most people fail to tell the council when they have found accommodation and are only reminded when asked if they still want to be on the housing register. That review process is expected to start later this winter once the council has signed off new policies for managing housing allocations. Cllr Carr-Jones said the change in policy would not fill the shortfall between housing need and the number of homes being built but should improve the fairness of who is offered a property. The meeting heard a call for being more open with people on the list – telling them, realistically, when they had little chance of social housing, and then going on to help and encourage them to find other routes, such as renting, buy to let, or using shared equity schemes. A public consultation on housing issues by the council had attracted more than 760 responses with the committee being told there was general support for the council’s approach which has been praised by national bodies. Among the changes will be a recognition that more housing support may be needed for children who have been in the care of the council at the point they become adults, and that changes in domestic abuse legislation, expected to become law in January, may also create additional needs. Weymouth councillor Pete Barrow called for housing staff to provide regular statistics once the new allocations policy comes into being to enable the authority to monitor if policies were working and to then make changes, if they were not.

"We are hugely grateful to these volunteers, groups and local businesses for the support they provide within communities," said Cllr Parry.

"Where access to food for struggling families is not available in a particular area, we are funding emergency food parcels through the Volunteer Centre Dorset. The parcels will be delivered within 24 hours of receiving the request, although they are normally sent out the same day."

"We know many people are facing very challenging circumstances right now. If you need support, whether it's food, or advice about money, mental health, or relationships, you are not alone - there is a range of help and support available. The specialist advisers at Citizens Advice can help with immediate problems and also help plan for the longer term. Please pick up the phone and speak to someone now. Call Citizens Advice on Freephone 0800 144 8848 or visit www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/reaching-out.

"We are currently making arrangements for the Christmas holidays for children who receive free school meals."

In Dorchester a charity which provided food for hard-pressed families during the school summer holidays is to extend the service to the Christmas break this year.

During the summer the newly established charity, Dorchester Family Support, working from Hardye's school, provided almost 190 families with canned goods, fresh fruit and veg' along with fresh meat to enable all the family to have one good meal a day.

Most of the families are from Dorchester itself, or surrounding villages.

Said one of the trustees, Kath Joslin: "Although we have no plans for the half-term, we will be putting together Christmas hampers for our families the week before Christmas again at Hardye's school.

"All the money for this enterprise comes from the local community. We are grateful to Dorchester Poverty Action, Dorchester Casterbridge Rotary, Poundbury Residents Association, the Town Council and all the churches in the town who have provided us with the financial wherewithal to do this. Hardye's School in particular has been extremely supportive of this work. Many individuals have also supported us along with Councillor Janet Hewitt who has helped with sourcing the monies needed for this work along with practical help and support."

She says that the service was hoping to expand this year but the pandemic has put paid to that for the time being.