Northamptonshire County Council will be providing vouchers for free school meals over February half-term

The leader of Northamptonshire County Council confirmed on Thursday night that the county council will be giving out meal vouchers to eligible families during the February half-term.

Councillor Matthew Golby, announced on Twitter (January 14): “NCC @mycountycouncil will be issuing meal vouchers to eligible families to cover the February half term, paid for from funding we've already received from government. More official details to follow over next few days.”

This comes after the government faced backlash from thousands of parents across the UK when the food hamper scheme was rolled out on Monday (January 10). The scheme was met with widespread criticism as parents took to social media to share images of the food parcels they received, with one Northampton primary school headteacher describing them as “totally inadequate”.

Footballer and anti-poverty campaigner, Marcus Rashford, penned a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson urging the government to undertake an urgent cross-party review of the free school meals system.

The letter said: “We are ready and willing to support your Government in whatever way we can to make this review a reality and to help develop a set of recommendations that everyone can support. It is only by working together that we end child food poverty.”

The letter was signed by chefs Jamie Oliver, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Tom Kerridge as well as actress, Emma Thompson and over 30 charities and businesses.

Northamptonshire County Council funded free school meal vouchers for children over the October half-term break last year, despite both of Northampton’s MPs - Andrew Lewer and Michael Ellis - voting down the free school meals extension scheme in parliament.