East Sussex County Council (ESCC) has ended the school holiday food voucher scheme leaving many families with children on free school meals without the support they were expecting. Since May the council has been run by Reform UK as a minority administration.
Helena Dollimore, MP for Hastings and Rye is calling on the council to reinstate the vouchers. “I am appalled that Reform have taken away food vouchers from families expecting to receive them without any communication or consideration of the impact.
“The Government has given East Sussex County Council £7.3 million to support families through the Crisis and Resilience Fund which should include providing free summer food vouchers for eligible children. The guidance for the allocation of this money is clear that local authorities should ‘support families in crisis to ensure the poorest children do not go hungry in the school holidays.’”
Penny Downes of Rye Foodbank said the food vouchers, worth £15 per child per week, are vital for many local families. “We are very concerned about the end of the funded school holiday food voucher scheme in East Sussex as it will leave many of the most vulnerable local families facing a more difficult summer. The need remains significant. The Food Foundation’s latest figures show 39.2% of children in the Hastings and Rye constituency are living in poverty, meaning many rely on school meals during term time and the supermarket vouchers helped ensure these families were supported through the holidays.
“I have spoken to four families who all say it is devastating for them, as they use the vouchers to buy the food needed for children who are at home all day including fresh fruit, yoghurts and the occasional ice cream treat. At the end of the summer they can also use them to buy a couple of new school shirts so they do not have to wear hand-me-downs.”
The Reform leader of ESCC Andy Woolley has defended the council’s decision. “The Government’s Household Support Fund, which ESCC used to provide holiday supermarket vouchers to families eligible for benefits related to free school meals, ended on 31 March 2026. The Government replaced it with a new Crisis and Resilience Fund from 1 April 2026. The new fund is intended to provide support to households experiencing immediate financial hardship and to help build longer-term financial resilience, rather than providing universal holiday food vouchers to all families eligible for free school meals.”
To replace the vouchers the council is funding a Holiday Activity and Food programme (HAF) from the new Crisis and Resilience Fund offering free activities and a meal to children who are in receipt of free school meals.
According to Andy Woolley families were informed via schools in April and July that the voucher scheme would not continue through the summer, a view disputed by some of the affected families in Rye who had neither been informed that the vouchers were to be scrapped nor received information about the HAF scheme.
Local provision for the HAF scheme is limited with just three organisations in Rye offering free access and a meal: Rye Youth Zone – RYZ (for ages 10-17), 1066 Kids Club (for ages 5-11) and Rye Harbour Nature Reserve (for ages 5-11).
With the groups on different days, at different locations and limited spaces requiring booking, Penny Downes says that not all those that need help may get it. “We feel very worried for our families who are generally not so organised to have booked into activities, and a less confident child might not want to be dropped at a club where they may not know other children. Added to this, food is just on the day of activity which may already be fully booked as there are very few clubs or dates on offer in the Rye area – certainly nothing comparable to having vouchers to replace a daily free school meal.
“Vulnerable children we perceive as being most affected are our child carers, children suffering from anxiety, depression or trauma, children with SEND, children whose parents struggle with mental or physical illnesses, have debt or are illiterate and children in the more rural villages who have to use public transport- they may have free travel but their parents do not. Two of our families have children with complex SEND needs who wouldn’t be able to access the clubs anyway.
“Families experiencing crisis can also seek help through the new Crisis and Resilience Fund, but this is complicated to access and support is no longer universal.”
Rye Foodbank is open to anyone in need every Wednesday, 12 noon to 2pm at Rye Baptist Church on Cinque Ports Street, providing confidential food support to anyone in need along with support to access crisis funds where appropriate. You can contact it by email ryefoodbank@gmail.com or by phone 07526 349847.
Local HAF providers
RYZ holiday activities and food sessions Wednesdays and Thursdays from 1pm to 7pm – providing a hot evening meal, toast and hot drinks and squash during day 29/30 July, 5/6 August, 12/13 August and 26/27 August.
RYZ Family Fridays at the Salts – activities and a picnic provided on Friday 31 July, 7 August, 14 August and 28 August.
1066 Kids Club – 9.30am to 1.30pm – activities and a meal Monday 24 August to Thursday 27 August.
Rye Harbour Nature Reserve Wildlife Watch sessions – Wednesday 5 August, Friday 14 August, Wednesday 19 August, Friday 21 August and Tuesday 24 August.
For any family concerned about accessing support during the summer holidays, assistance is available through:
- Family Information Service: 0345 60 80 192
- Holiday Activity and Food programme: free activities and meals for eligible children https://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/children-families/childcare/welcome-to-holiday-food-and-fun
- Cost of Living Support services https://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/community/cost-of-living-support
- Crisis and Resilience Fund support, where families meet the eligibility criteria following assessment of individual circumstances and need https://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/social-care/benefits/crisis-and-resilience-fund
Image Credits: Kt bruce .