Councillors have today (Tuesday, 10 March) approved transitional Holiday Voucher amounts for the remainder of the current academic year, at a meeting of the Children and Young People Committee.
The council has previously supported children eligible for Free School Meals during school holidays by providing Holiday Vouchers, funded through the Government’s Household Support Fund (HSF), which the Government is withdrawing at the end of the current financial year on 31 March 2026.
Councillors heard at the meeting that the existing holiday voucher scheme will not be able to be funded through the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF), which replaces the HSF from 1 April 2026.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) have confirmed, however, that £350k from the CRF funding can be used to contribute to the costs of Holiday Vouchers for the Easter holidays as part of the transition away from the previous funding model.
It was also agreed at Full Council on 10 February that £1m would be reserved in the council’s 2026/2027 budget to enable continuing investment in a revised Holiday Vouchers offer until the end of the summer holidays this year.
Alongside funding from the CRF and a further £1.3m, which has been identified from the council’s Anti-Poverty reserve, councillors heard that in total circa £2.7m of funding has been made available to help smooth the transition of families as the existing Holiday Voucher scheme comes to an end.
At the committee meeting councillors approved proposals to provide Holiday Vouchers at a reduced weekly rate of £10 to the scheme’s current recipients over the next three school holidays (Easter, May Half-term, Summer).
The full weekly value of the Holiday Voucher had previously been £15. The new £10 rate is based on the total level of funding set aside by the council for the transition and the expected number of recipients of the vouchers.
The council is currently developing a number of new proposals, which will be supported by £15.9m from the CRF over the next three years, to ensure families and households in need across Cambridgeshire can access other kinds of support in times of financial shock.
Cllr Edna Murphy, chair of the Children and Young People Committee at Cambridgeshire County Council, said: “This council is committed to enabling full, healthy lives for all and ensuring fairness and opportunity wherever we can.
“While the funding from the Government’s Household Support Fund has come to an end, I’m really pleased that by approving these transitional voucher amounts today we’ve been able to enable a smoother transition for the families affected.
“I also look forward to seeing proposals come to future committees for how the new programme of funding can be used to most effectively ensure we give the best start in life to all children and young people in our county.”
You can view the reports discussed at the committee meeting on our website and watch a recording of the meeting on our YouTube channel.
