School Holiday Food Grant Must Be Extended - Cllr Doyle
Aontú Cllr for Ballyarnett Emmet Doyle has called on the Department of Education to give certainty to parents over the future of the school holiday food grant whose budget is due to expire at the end of March
Cllr Doyle:
"The scheme was introduced to assist parents of children who receive free school meals with £27 a fortnight over school holidays in the current cost of living crisis
Since the fall of Stormont there has been no budget in place beyond this month to continue the payments despite the worsening situation for household budgets.
The Department of Education and if needs be the Secretary of State, must act urgently to give parents certainty that this support will be in place for the Easter break and beyond.
I intend to bring a motion to Council at the end of this month that will seek that assurance. People are struggling now as much as they were in October of last year when the then Minister continued the scheme.
The deadlock at Stormont has caused enough financial hardship as it is, and those remaining in charge should now be working to alleviate this pressure for parents and communities."
ENDS