Over 7,000 children in Milton Keynes who eligible for free school meals will be receiving half-term help.
The meal support, for those in receipt of free school meals, will come from the money provided to councils from the Government's COVID Winter Grant Scheme which launched last year.
But the Government has received criticism for not actively providing the meals. Labour's Deputy Leader Angela Rayner has said it is "rank hypocrisy" as the Prime Minister previously condemned food parcels that were given to children "to now leave those very same children without free school meals during the school holidays.”
Free school meals is a topic that has divided opinion in the past year, after MPs voted against a plan to extend the free school meal scheme into the school holidays with universal credit being the "better option".
Cllr Zoe Nolan, Milton Keynes Council's Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, added: “Local families have been continuously let down by the government on this issue since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and they have stopped their national support this half term despite lockdown continuing.”
Cllr Nolan says she is "proud" the council can provide support for the families in need.
In other news, Morrisons supermarkets across Milton Keynes will be providing pizza kits to low-income families every day this upcoming half term.
Staff working on the pizza counters will each prepare 30 pizza kits per day, which will then be distributed to local schools and community groups to help support families in need via Morrisons Community Champions.
There are two supermarkets in Milton Keynes that are taking part, meaning that hundreds of kits will be donated to families across the city.
