Issue - meetings

As detailed in the recommendations.

Councillor Johnson introduced the report and said during the Covid pandemic Welsh Government (WG) committed to provide additional funding to support free school meals during the holiday and half term period. The scheme was intended to address 'holiday hunger' and help families struggling during the cost-of-living crisis and the mechanism for delivering that initiative was either a direct payment to families of eligible children, vouchers, or the provision of a lunch.

At the end of June WG confirmed that it was ending its support for

free school meal provision for children during holidays and half terms.

At the Council meeting of the 26^th September 2023 a Notice of Motion relating to

Free School Meals was adopted, the key points of which were:

• Cabinet will give a commitment to work to find resources during the

Christmas holidays for families on free school meals and will bring a report

to Cabinet in November with proposals for how this can be achieved

• Cabinet will set up a working group to report back to Cabinet.  The working

group will be chaired by a back-bench Member of the Council but will contain Councillor Paul Johnson and Councillor Mared Eastwood with representatives from across the Chamber

            The Terms of Reference for the working group were appended to the report. 

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the payment of £25.00 per eligible pupil to address the period covering the Christmas holiday period, be approved to be taken from the hardship fund (total estimated amount £129,825); and

(b)       That a Member Working Group be set up and that group report back its findings before the 2024/25 budget is concluded.  The principle aim of the Working Group will be to consider and recommend sustainable options for future school holidays.