Extra £500,000 given to extend free school meals during holidays for the rest of this academic year, Leicestershire County Council has vowed

An extra £500,000 is being forked out to extend free school meals during holidays for the rest of this academic year, Leicestershire County Council has vowed.

The bold move is going ahead to make sure that youngsters won’t go hungry across Harborough and throughout the county during the Christmas, half-term and Easter breaks, the council said.

And it will benefit 12,000 pupils across Leicestershire who are eligible for free school meals.

Cllr Nick Rushton, the county council’s leader, said: “Times are still tough.

“We simply can’t have children going hungry during the pandemic.

“So we’re stepping up to plug the gap and help thousands of families who need support.”

He added: “Our schools have already had their half-term but we’re committing funding for the rest of this school year.

“Not only is this the right thing to do, it underlines our commitment to providing the help and support our children and families need.”

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the authority has also:

• Given over half-a-million-pounds of Government funding to food banks and community groups this autumn – Leicestershire’s slice of the £63 million from the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)

• Launched a £1.5 million fund to support communities – a hospice, a homelessness service and a charity supporting young, older and vulnerable people are just three of those awarded money

• Established a £750,000 fund supporting small businesses to get back on their feet – with around £400,000 awarded so far

• Set up a dedicated team to ensure 25,000 people identified as ‘shielded’ by the NHS have support and care in place if required – and delivered hundreds of emergency food parcels and prescriptions.