Special help with the rising cost of living will be made available over the October half term holiday to eligible families in Cambridgeshire.
Cambridgeshire County Council’s joint administration agreed to earmark £3.6m in one-off funds to extend the Holiday Voucher Scheme in Cambridgeshire for each of the school holidays until the February 2023 half term.
The scheme offers parents vouchers for a choice of supermarkets. These vouchers will be sent to eligible families automatically using school data and information held by the local authority. Those eligible for the vouchers will be pupils who meet the following criteria:
- Early Years Pupil Premium
- Children eligible for income related funded two-year-old education
- Eligible for income-related Free School Meals
- Students eligible for 16+ bursary.
The Council will issue each eligible child or young person with a £15 supermarket voucher to cover the October half term holiday period. This will be sent on 21 October. The voucher will be sent by email and/or text to the nominated parent or carer. The voucher does not need to be used in a single shopping trip and once claimed will last for at least a year.
Any child eligible for income-related free school meals, or any of the other criteria listed above, will automatically receive a voucher for the October half term holiday. Any children who become eligible up until 30 October 2022 will also a receive voucher.
Further details can be found here: Cambridgeshire Holiday Voucher Scheme - Cambridgeshire County Council
Cllr Bryony Goodliffe, Chair of Cambridgeshire County Council’s Children and Young People’s Committee said: “Many families who were originally struggling during the pandemic are now finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet due to the rapidly rising cost of living. I am delighted that the Council’s joint administration agreed to continue funding the supermarket voucher scheme at the very time when it is needed most – helping families to enjoy the half term holiday.”
