Councillors have welcomed the re-introduction of vouchers for families with children on free school meals to use during half-term.

Medway Labour Group presented a petition to Medway Council, which was signed by over 1,000 people, calling on it to reinstate the vouchers which were scrapped over the summer break.

Councillors from the group also asked the authority to apologise to families who had lost out.

The vouchers - worth £15 per pupil, per week - had been available during the school holidays to families whose children would usually receive free school meals, and were introduced during the pandemic.

The decision to stop providing the vouchers through the government's Housing Support Fund was made using the council leader's urgency powers in late April.

The council had been awarded £2.2 million to support residents with financial difficulties, including families and pensioners.

A report on the decision read: "As Medway is successfully running the Holidays and Food (HAF) programme, MedwayGo, there is no need to provide free school meal vouchers for every eligible child during the holidays.

"Vouchers could prohibit the take up of the HAF scheme. Therefore, it is proposed that the scheme covers only the holidays that are not covered by the HAF scheme."

Activities included dance, singing, skateboarding, crafting, and trampolining and were aimed at children aged between five and 16 who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals, of which there are around 11,000 in Medway.

The council responded to the criticism by saying as funding from the Housing Support Fund was ringfenced for different groups of people in need and providing the vouchers over the summer break would have cost in excess of £1 million which was more than it has been granted by the government.

It also encouraged those in need to apply for a grant from the Household Support Fund through the council, which could help towards other things apart from food, such as utility bills, and is still open for application.

Other councils - including Kent County Council - had allowed parents access to the vouchers over the summer.

The government has now extended the Household Support Fund until the end of March next year, and the council has been given almost £2.3 million which will not be ring fenced for particular groups of residents.

Councillors voted to use some of the funding to reinstate the food vouchers during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, October 18.

They will be available for free school-meal eligible pupils in October half term and February half term.

They will also be available during the Christmas break regardless of whether parents choose to send their children to the holiday activities programme which will be running that half term.

Cllr Clive Johnson (Lab) - who started the petition - said while the decision was welcome and he was pleased with the outcome, he thought families had been allowed to struggle over the summer.