Holiday voucher scheme for struggling Hertfordshire families to be extended until September

A Hertfordshire scheme that offers struggling families supermarket vouchers through the school holidays is to be extended until the end of September.

Supermarket vouchers have been made available to families with children eligible for benefits related free school meals in Hertfordshire since 2020.

But in February county council officials warned that the vouchers may have to stop – amid fears that the funding from the government’s Household Support Grant may not continue after the end of March.

Weeks later a six-month extension of the Household Support Grant was announced by the Chancellor, as part of the Budget Statement in March.

And now a spokesperson for the county council has confirmed that the council’s supermarket voucher scheme will be extended until the end of September (2024).

That will mean the vouchers will be available for families in the May half term and throughout the long summer school holidays.

In a statement issued to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, a spokesperson for Hertfordshire County Council said: “We are delighted that the Household Support Fund has been extended for six months, up until the end of September 2024, meaning that we will be able to provide supermarket vouchers to families eligible for benefits-related free school meals during May half-term and the Summer holidays this year.”

• Information about some of the cost of living support and advice available can be found on the county council’s website, at www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/costofliving