Parents put on alert over £60 vouchers coming in December

Low-income parents in one of the poorest parts of England have been told they will get extra support in the run-up to Christmas. Vouchers worth £60 will be issued to eligible families to help ensure kids can still eat good meals while they are off school.

Sandwell Council has announced the support for hard-up parents of children who qualify for free school meals. It has made changes to its meal vouchers scheme this year.

Parents did not receive them during the October half term. Council bosses say they have instead decided to issue single vouchers in December worth more to cover half terms in October and February as well as Christmas.

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It will provide some relief during the expensive Christmas period. The authority, in one of the most deprived areas of the country, said it was determined to support struggling families as much as possible.

Sandwell Council’s cabinet member for children and families Cllr Mohammed Jalal Uddin said: “Sandwell Council is in fact one of the few councils continuing to support families who are eligible for free school meals. Our Household Support Funding for the period up to the end of March 2025 has been confirmed as being over £3.4million.

"We will be using this to provide families eligible for free school meals with vouchers in December – offering financial help at what we know is often the most financially challenging period of the year for many households. These £60 vouchers will be issued by schools and will be the equivalent of four vouchers to cover the October half-term, Christmas and February half-term holidays in one voucher.”