Council announces half term help for children in Plymouth who get free school meals
Parents in Plymouth whose children get free school meals during term time will be given financial support this half term to help them buy food.
Plymouth City Council has announced eligible families will get an additional payment of £11 to help them through the October half term week.
That works out at £2.20 per day - which the authority says will help parents buy a meal.
Families that qualify for the extra support can apply via the Council's website from Monday 26 October and those eligible will then get a BACS payment of £11 into their bank account.
Councillor Jon Taylor, Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Transformation, said: “We understand just how difficult the last few months have been for low income families, so following the government’s decision not to extend the free school meal scheme yesterday, we are pulling out all the stops to ensure children in Plymouth don’t go hungry over half-term.
“We know that feeding children during the school holidays is hard for families and coronavirus is causing even more worry. We want to help take some of the pressure with our scheme which means eligible families can apply for a payment to support them during the school break next week.”
The scheme will go live on the Council's website from 12pm on Monday 26 October and will close at the same time on Monday 9 November.
It comes as businesses across the West Country have also been announcing the support they will give to parents throughout the half term, in response to Marcus Rashford's campaign to give children free meals.
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