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Bath & North East Somerset Council has announced it’s changing how it supports families who currently receive free school meal vouchers during the school holidays.
The council will continue providing vouchers through the summer school holidays, after which support will be delivered in a more targeted way, focused on helping families facing financial difficulty and strengthening longer‑term financial resilience. It is not a withdrawal of support but a change in the way it is provided.
The vouchers are funded through the UK Government–supported Crisis & Resilience Fund, which is a short‑term response to financial hardship rather than a permanent scheme. Government rules attached to the fund do not allow councils to run ongoing blanket voucher programmes.
Councillor Mark Elliott, Cabinet Member for Resources, said: “Families should be reassured this is about making sure help is targeted, fair and sustainable within the Government’s rules of the funding we receive. The Crisis & Resilience Fund was never intended to provide universal vouchers indefinitely, but it remains there to support people when they face a genuine financial crisis. Alongside this, our new practical support will help households build greater financial stability for the future to prevent the need for crisis payments.”
Families facing financial difficulty will still be able to apply for crisis support through the Crisis & Resilience Fund, with payments made as cash where possible to give people greater flexibility. The council’s Welfare Support team will also continue to help residents with essential costs, including food, through the existing Local Welfare Provision scheme.
Alongside this, the council, working with partners, will help households improve their financial stability through practical budgeting support, advice on bills and debt, and ways to maximise income.
For more information, go to https://www.bathnes.gov.uk/changes-free-school-meal-holiday-vouchers.
