Funding change ends school holiday food vouchers in Bracknell

Families eligible for benefit-related free school meals will no longer automatically be given supermarket vouchers during school holidays. Bracknell Forest Council said it had made the "difficult" decision after the government made changes to how it funds council support for families facing financial difficulties. The Household Support Fund (HSF), introduced in 2021, has been scrapped by the government and replaced with a new Crisis Resilience Fund (CRF). The council said it could not tell the BBC how many families would be affected, but that the new fund would be used "as effectively as possible". The authority is receiving just under £907,000 from the CRF for 2026/27, down slightly from the £979,000 it received from the HSF for 2025/26. The CRF allows councils to give money to people in financial shock where there is "a sudden, unexpected expense or drop in income", like a broken boiler, the loss of a job or to prevent people from entering crisis. The level of funding to councils across England from the CRF is broadly similar to the previous scheme though some, like Bracknell, have seen their amount drop slightly. Cllr Paul Bidwell, cabinet member for economy and regeneration, sa