Struggling South Tyneside families will be able to access council food vouchers during February half term

According to the borough council, more than 9,000 children and young people who are eligible for free school meals will receive the vouchers worth £15 a week.

The supermarket vouchers are funded through the Government’s Covid Winter Grant Scheme aimed at helping those hardest hit by the pandemic.

Although free school meals support for vulnerable children in England has been extended until early March, this will not cover the February half-term period (which runs between Friday, February 12, and Monday, February 22).

The decision has reopened a row over the Government’s stated commitment to support vulnerable children during the pandemic. Research last year suggested that more than a quarter of children in South Tyneside were living in conditions of relative poverty.

The latest point of dispute follows on from Tory MPs’ refusal to support the extension of free school meals into the previous half-term period, a proposal which they voted down and subsequently defended in controversial terms last October.

At that time, local businesses across the borough pulled together to plug the gap left by the vote.

Premier League footballer Marcus Rashford was then spearheading a campaign to expand the provision of free school meals to include the school holiday periods.

He was again critical of the Government in January, after images of the food parcels delivered to disadvantaged children learning remotely during the current lockdown surfaced online and went viral.

The MPs for South Tyneside have also hit out at Boris Johnson’s government over the apparent inadequacies of its free school meal provisions during Lockdown 3.

Last month, however, the local authority said that “not a single complaint” had been raised with council officials over the food parcel provisions for disadvantaged children learning remotely in the borough.

“The pandemic continues to make life very difficult for everyone,” Councillor Moira Smith, Lead Member for Children, Young People and Families, said.

"However, we know that those already disadvantaged are being most adversely affected as a result of Covid-19.

“Giving all our children and young people the best start in life remains one of our top priorities and making sure they don’t go hungry is one of the best ways we can do that.”

Support your Gazette and become a subscriber today. Enjoy unlimited access to local news, the latest football stories and new puzzles every day. With a digital subscription, you can see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Click here to subscribe