The Mayor of North Tyneside has reassured residents that school holiday support for low-income families has not been “withdrawn” following the final supermarket voucher payment. In North Tyneside, low-income families in need of school holiday food support received their last supermarket voucher, totalling £65, in July.
Changes to Support Arrangements
North Tyneside Council’s Labour leader Karen Clark said support for families will continue through the Holiday Activities and Food Programme (HAF) and its Crisis Support scheme. Families requiring income-related free school meals had received a £15 supermarket voucher per child for each week of the school holidays. Due to reduced government funding in summer 2025, this changed to two £65-per-year payments, with families receiving the final transitional voucher last month.
Elected Mayor of North Tyneside Karen Clark said: “We are committed to giving children and young people the best start in life and creating better lives for all in North Tyneside.
“Support for families during the school holidays has not been withdrawn. The Government ended the Household Support Fund and introduced the Crisis and Resilience Fund, which has different rules and a different level of funding. This means councils have had to change how they provide help during school holidays.
Council Response and Criticism
“North Tyneside Council issued a £65 supermarket voucher in July for families receiving income-related free school meals as part of the Government’s transitional arrangements, in line with neighbouring authorities. The previous weekly voucher model was no longer sustainable under the new national framework.
“Families continue to receive support through the Holiday Activities and Food programme, which provides free activities, food and enrichment for children on income-related free school meals, and through our Crisis Support scheme for those facing sudden financial difficulty.
“The new arrangements allow us to support families in a more holistic and sustainable way, ensuring people get the right help at the right time.”
Tory Preston and Preston Grange councillor Liam Bones said: “Holiday activities can be valuable, but they do not pay for the weekly food shop. Nor is forcing a family to apply for crisis assistance the same as providing a straightforward automatic support before they reach breaking point.
“The council should stop pretending this decision was unavoidable. The new government guidance still allows councils to provide supermarket vouchers, and other authorities have chosen to continue doing so.
“Labour has made a political choice to take this money away from North Tyneside families. The Mayor must explain how many children will lose this support, what assessment has been made of the impact on holiday hunger and whether the council will reconsider this decision before the next school holidays in October.”
