Conservative-led Wandsworth Council has discontinued school holiday food vouchers from the 2026 summer holidays, following changes in how the Government funds support for low-income families. The move ends automatic supermarket voucher provision for all children receiving free school meals, placing children at risk of going hungry, according to opposition councillors.
Petition calls for continued support
A total of 536 people have signed a petition by Wandsworth Labour urging the council to maintain the vouchers this summer. The petition highlights that more than 10,000 children previously received £20 per week in holiday food vouchers under Labour leadership from 2022 to May 2026. It states: "Cutting food support would leave some of the borough’s most vulnerable children at risk of going hungry."
Funding shift from Household Support Fund to Crisis Resilience Fund
The Government replaced the Household Support Fund with the Crisis Resilience Fund on March 31, 2026, directing councils to shift from shopping vouchers to longer-term financial assistance. While many local authorities have already stopped holiday vouchers, some—including Hackney, Sutton, Cambridgeshire, and Bath and North East Somerset—continue to provide them through their own budgets for at least part of the summer to ease the transition.
Council response and alternative programs
Conservative councillor George Crivelli, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, said: "Wandsworth Labour need to petition the Labour Government, not the council. This is a change to their own government's funding rules, which we are doing our best to mitigate." A council spokesperson added: "The council was using the national Household Support Fund to provide holiday free school meal vouchers. The Government has replaced this support with a Crisis and Resilience Fund. Its new, national rules mean that councils are no longer allowed to provide vouchers. However, we are providing other holiday support through the Holiday Activities and Food programme, Magic Breakfast holiday packs and additional local help."
