South Gloucestershire Labour is proud to announce it has reversed a Conservative cut that lowered the amount of food vouchers given to children entitled to free school meals during school holidays.

The vouchers were originally worth £15 a week to children entitled to free school meals. This was lowered to £10 a week by the previous Conservative administration, cutting direct help to alleviate food poverty among some of the authority’s most vulnerable children by a third.

After gaining seats in May’s local election and forming a Partnership with the Liberal Democrats, it has been Labour’s top priority to reverse this cut.

The move will cost an additional £292,000, bringing the total allocated to holiday food vouchers to £1 million, with funding coming from the Household Support Fund.

Alison Evans, Labour councillor for Woodstock and Cabinet Member for Cost of Living, Equalities, and Public Health, said: “We were appalled by the Conservatives’ decision, partly because it affected some of the poorest families in South Gloucestershire, but also because we are right in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis.

“Why they made this cut, at this time, is beyond me.

“As a child I remember the feeling of being hungry during the long summer holidays and looking forward to going back to school for my daily hot free school meal.

“So I’m pleased that we’ve been able to work with officers to reverse this Conservative cut and fund the full voucher again.

“This is the change people voted for in May, and the reason I became a councillor – to make a positive difference for people who need it the most.”