Free school meals: Three Welsh councils make holiday payments

Three councils are set to fund free school meal vouchers for parents this summer after the Welsh government axed support.

Ministers said there was no money to continue the scheme, which was introduced during the Covid pandemic, sparking money worries for parents.

But Caerphilly, Blaenau Gwent and Powys councils have found the cash from their own budgets for the school break.

The Welsh government said the support was always "time-limited".

Meanwhile, First Minister Mark Drakeford said a number of groups would help families over the holiday, including the Welsh Rugby Union.

Some council leaders expressed concern at how late the decision was announced, while Wrexham's council leader said financial struggles of the authority stopped it from stepping in.

The Liberal Democrat leader of Powys feared some children could suffer malnutrition without the programme.

Councils were told about the move on 28 June after the scheme had been extended until the end of the last half-term break, with councils either providing lunches, vouchers or payments.

At the weekend, Mr Drakeford also said that even if the money - estimated to be £15m - did become "miraculously" available, "it couldn't be done for this holiday".

Without extra money, it is unlikely the three councils will continue with payments beyond the summer.

Caerphilly has already approved its decision - costing £900,000 - to fund holiday payments to families whose children receive free school meals.

Its Labour leader Sean Morgan said the difficult financial situation facing local government was why many other authorities were not doing the same.

He said his administration found the lateness of the Welsh government's decision "difficult".

"We had residents that were expecting those free school meals to continue."

He blamed the Plaid Cymru co-operation deal with the Welsh government - which includes the roll out of universal free school meals in primary schools - for "spending the money available".

Plaid Cymru said it was disappointed the support had been ended but the decision had not formed part of the co-operation agreement.

Blaenau Gwent council is deciding on Thursday whether to continue the payments - costing £300,000 from its reserves.

Stephen Thomas, leader of the Labour-run authority, explained there were "deep concerns" in the authority that children could go hungry.

"We are disappointed that the funding is coming to an end but I understand the position that Mark Drakeford is in," he said.

Powys council's cabinet will meet on Tuesday to consider a recommendation to run a free school meal voucher scheme out of their own funds, costing £280,000.

Council leader James Gibson-Watt said that without the scheme he warned there could be a "level of malnutrition" that would be "very evident" when pupils returned after summer.

Mr Drakeford said he was grateful for councils "doing more than they had originally planned".

He added: "There are a whole range of organisations that will be out there at community level helping families, helping children whether that's sporting organisations like the Welsh Rugby Union, youth organisations like the Urdd, whether it's faith organisations who are in every part of Wales."

A Welsh government spokesman said: "This summer, a wide range of holiday projects will be available across Wales, including the Food and Fun scheme, which we fund and will be available in all 22 local authority areas for the first time.

"We continue to support families through the cost of living crisis and have invested more than £3.3bn in programmes and schemes which put money back into people's pockets."