MORE food vouchers are on the cards for families as councillors decide how to spend £2 million in government funding to support vulnerable people.

The money is to provide food, fuel and other essentials for people in Brighton and Hove over the winter.

The city council’s policy and resources (recovery) sub-committee is being asked to approve plans to allocate the money.

The council must use at least half the grant to support families with children and officials have proposed spending more than £500,000 on food vouchers for them during the school holidays.

At Christmas and in the half-term holidays, they would go to poorer families, including those with children who qualify for free school meals.

Officials have already signed off £139,000 for food vouchers during the October half-term break.

The money must be spent by the end of March so officials have proposed putting £270,000 towards vouchers for Easter to be distributed before April.

The report said: “One of the key elements of the fund will be the ongoing provision of vouchers for families in receipt of free school meals during the holidays.

“Government Covid funding previously enabled the council to provide this support during all school holiday periods from December 2020, including summer 2021.

“It has proven to be a lifeline for low-income and vulnerable families and the new funding will enable the council to continue the same level of support.

“It is proposed that the amounts of the vouchers will again be £15 per week. Associated funding is also proposed for the provision of vouchers for schools to allocate as they deem appropriate, early years and the children’s centres. The funding for the children’s centres will enable them to switch their offer from direct food provision to food vouchers which will be more efficient.”

The second-largest amount, £404,000, is earmarked for the Local Discretionary Social Fund to help those receiving benefits with food, energy bills and other essentials.

The fund, which had an initial budget of £180,000, was “a key resource for crisis and emergency help in the city for low-income households on benefits, or those awaiting benefits”.

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