Supermarket vouchers available to help families in Peterborough over Christmas holidays

Eligible families in Peterborough will receive £30 of supermarket vouchers to help them during the Christmas school holidays this December.

The vouchers will be sent automatically to eligible families using school data and information held by the city council.

Who is eligible:

Vouchers will be distributed to families with children and young people who are or who receive:

Income-related Free School Meals (children and young people aged four to 16)

Early Years Pupil Premium under the income-based criteria (children aged three and four with a date of birth between 1 September 2018 and 31 August 2020)

Funded Childcare and Education for two-year-olds under the income-based criteria (children aged two with a date of birth between 1 September 2020 and 31 August 2021)

In total, approximately 13,000 children and young people are eligible for vouchers in the Peterborough City Council area. The vouchers are funded by the Household support grant from central government

The city council is urging families to check whether they may be eligible for free school meals during term time, which in turn would make them eligible for supermarket vouchers in the holidays.

Families currently paying for school meals would save around £450 a year for each primary school child if they were entitled to free school meals.

Providing free school meals can also add up to £2,000 a year in Government funding to a school’s budget.

How to find out if you are eligible

Information about free school meals and how to apply can be found at www.peterborough.gov.uk/residents/schools-and-education/holiday-voucher-scheme – you need to provide basic details and a national insurance number.

The Christmas holidays food voucher will be sent via email and/or text to the nominated parent or carer. The email vouchers will come from [email protected]. Text vouchers will come from EVouchers. Both will be sent out over the weekend of the 16 and 17 December. The voucher must be claimed by 2 February 2024.

Councillor Ray Bisby, Peterborough City Council’s Cabinet Member for Children’s Services and Education, said: “I am extremely pleased that we are once again able to issue these vital vouchers to families who may be struggling over the festive season.

“I would urge anyone who is eligible for the scheme but not already signed up to please consider doing so, as the vouchers have helped thousands of families across the city.”

If you think you might qualify and could be saving money, please apply via www.peterborough.gov.uk