Families in Sefton who receive free school meals, can now apply for meal vouchers for the October 2020 half term.
To apply for e-vouchers, Sefton residents need to fill out the form with their name, address, telephone number and email address and their children’s names, schools and dates of birth.
You can find the form here.
The e-vouchers can be printed off or downloaded to a mobile phone and used in-store at any ASDA branch or used online at www.asda.com to buy food. The vouchers cannot be used to buy alcohol, tobacco, lottery tickets, phone top ups or stamps.
You can find out more about the scheme here.
Families who receive free school meals but who do not have access to e-mail can collect printed vouchers from a Family Wellbeing Centres. They need to phone to make an appointment and will need to wear a mask or face covering and remember to maintain space when they visit.
Sefton’s Family Wellbeing Centres are:
Linaker Family Wellbeing Centre
Linaker Street
Southport
PR8 5DQ
Tel: 0151 2886765
Farnborough Road
Birkdale
PR8 3DF
01704 572579
Talbot Street Family Wellbeing Centre
St Andrews Place
Southport
PR8 1HR
01704 534975
Formby Library and Family Wellbeing Centre
Duke Street
Formby
L37 4AN
0151 934 2063
People who do not have an e-mail address and who cannot get to a Family Wellbeing Centre can ring Sefton Council’s Contact Centre on 0345 140 0845 from 8m to 6pm Monday to Friday and between 10am and 4pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
If you do not currently receive free school meals, find out if they are eligible and how to apply.
Sefton residents are eligible for free school meals if they receive:

• Income Support
• Income based Jobseekers Allowance
• Income related Employment and Support Allowance
• Child Tax Credit ONLY (not entitled/receiving Working Tax Credit) and have an income of less that £16190.00
• Guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
• Working Tax Credit run-on (paid for the four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)
• Universal Credit and have a net household income of less than £7400 per annum
• Support under VI of the Immigration & Asylum Act

Announcing the scheme, Cllr Trish Hardy, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Housing said: “Sefton Council is putting in place a scheme to support children and their families accessing free school meals in the borough during this half term. We will be sharing more information on how to access the scheme as soon as possible.
“We will also continue to provide additional funding and support to our local voluntary sector partners, including the local food banks who are well stocked to enable them to help some of Sefton’s hardest hit families during these difficult times.
“Our family wellbeing centres in Talbot Street (Southport), Marie Clarke (Bootle) and Netherton also remain open to families who need their support during half-term. We have also increased the funding available to our Emergency Limited Assistance Scheme, and would encourage anyone in Sefton who may need extra support at this time to contact the council on 0345 140 0845.”
Cllr Hardy added: “I would also like to express my sincere thanks to local businesses in Sefton, and our voluntary organisations, who have once again come out in support of their local communities and have offered to provide packed lunches, food hampers and meals to struggling families. They have proven that Together We Are A Stronger Community”
Find out about Sefton’s October half term free meals scheme here.

......but .....I'm really confused now! I thought the Tories were forcing kids to starve this half term?

Originally Posted by gazaprop

......but .....I'm really confused now! I thought the Tories were forcing kids to starve this half term?

This is being paid for by Sefton and local businesses not the Government who refused to pay for it so not the Tories

Originally Posted by onehorsetown2

This is being paid for by Sefton and local businesses not the Government who refused to pay for it so not the Tories

Again - more lefty misinformation - the Council are using funds made available to them by the Government - duh!

Local businesses are to be congratulated on contributing but it's not absolutely essential for them to do so - the help IS available.

The real issue is however that there isn't any gain regarding the 'too good a crisis to waste agenda' on accepting plain, simple facts. Better to perpetuate the deception on that front.

Originally Posted by gazaprop

Again - more lefty misinformation - the Council are using funds made available to them by the Government - duh!

Local businesses are to be congratulated on contributing but it's not absolutely essential for them to do so - the help IS available.

The real issue is however that there isn't any gain regarding the 'too good a crisis to waste agenda' on accepting plain, simple facts. Better to perpetuate the deception on that front.

Oh dear, sounds like more tory apologist rhubarb, poorly attempting to defend the indefensible.
The real issue here is that the funding has now been withdrawn, meaning that kids who depended on it during school holidays are now going to be left without.

Originally Posted by donkey22

Oh dear, sounds like more tory apologist rhubarb, poorly attempting to defend the indefensible.
The real issue here is that the funding has now been withdrawn, meaning that kids who depended on it during school holidays are now going to be left without.

Absolute left wing Socialist rubbish.....and you know it.

Originally Posted by onehorsetown2

This is being paid for by Sefton and local businesses not the Government who refused to pay for it so not the Tories

Where do think the Councils are getting the money from?

Originally Posted by justbecause

Where do think the Councils are getting the money from?

Liked the above post in error, definitely not liked.

The money handed to councils was to support local business and cover extra expenses from COVID-19, not to help feed children, the decision to provide for children is very much to the credit of local councils and local businesses, with the aid of voluntary organisations, clear the government’s approach is not that of the majority, when Tory MPs are also unhappy with government action, then you know the government got it wrong.

Originally Posted by justbecause

Absolute left wing Socialist rubbish.....and you know it.

Typical tory apologist. Dismisses facts as ‘socialist left wing rubbish’.

Originally Posted by justbecause

Where do think the Councils are getting the money from?

You really should watch the news or read a decent newspaper before making half baked comments like the ones above.

Originally Posted by donkey22

Typical tory apologist. Dismisses facts as ‘socialist left wing rubbish’.

Standard Tory response to any criticism of the born to rule brigade.!!!!!!!!!

Originally Posted by donkey22

Oh dear, sounds like more tory apologist rhubarb, poorly attempting to defend the indefensible.
The real issue here is that the funding has now been withdrawn, meaning that kids who depended on it during school holidays are now going to be left without.

'the funding has been withdrawn' - not true, free school meals during this half term was not happening. In it's place extra funding was given to Local Authorities.

'kids will be left without' - not true, no kid needs to go without unless those who hold the LOCAL purse strings choose to make it so.

'defending the indefensible' - not true, nothing to defend. Provision over and above what is being demanded has been made.

You can say the earth is flat as many times as you like but, it doesn't mean it's true.

Originally Posted by gazaprop

'You can say the earth is flat as many times as you like but, it doesn't mean it's true.

Likewise, but please don’t refute hard facts, the funding HAS been withdrawn.

Originally Posted by donkey22

Likewise, but please don’t refute hard facts, the funding HAS been withdrawn.

Again, no it hasn't!

£63 million has been given to Local Authorities for this purpose and that is a fact. Why would the left not welcome this?
The answer is, again, there is no political capital to be made on supporting it - all part of the grubby 'don't let a good crisis go to waste' agenda - hard fact.

There is plenty to be holding this Government to account over but pursuing this lie that children are being left to starve over half term is pathetic and futile.
If the best the opposition can come up with is a weak argument based on how money is delivered, riding on the coat tails of a minor celebrity, then they deserve many more years in the political wilderness.

Originally Posted by gazaprop

Again, no it hasn't!

£63 million has been given to Local Authorities for this purpose and that is a fact. Why would the left not welcome this?
The answer is, again, there is no political capital to be made on supporting it - all part of the grubby 'don't let a good crisis go to waste' agenda - hard fact.

There is plenty to be holding this Government to account over but pursuing this lie that children are being left to starve over half term is pathetic and futile.
If the best the opposition can come up with is a weak argument based on how money is delivered, riding on the coat tails of a minor celebrity, then they deserve many more years in the political wilderness.

Again, yes they have stopped funding the free meal scheme. Unless the BBC have also got it wrong?
‘The Government has ruled out extending free meals nationwide beyond term time’-https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-politics-54657796