Joint Administration at Cambridgeshire County Council votes to provide vouchers over holiday

Cambridgeshire County Council’s Children & Young People Committee has voted to provide a voucher scheme during the summer holiday for children entitled to free school meals.

The latest government grant is insufficient to cover demand across the county so the Committee has approved additional funding to support these children and their families.

The Joint Administration Agreement states: “We will maintain free school meals for eligible children during school holidays, and work with schools and partners to widen the network of breakfast clubs in schools during term-time.”

Liberal Democrat, Labour and Independent councillors in the Joint Administration voted to support the voucher scheme this summer. Conservative councillors abstained, even though the highest percentage of children eligible for free school meals (27.1 per cent) is in Fenland, represented overwhelmingly by the Conservatives.