An MP has hit back at the council following its decision to suspend summer food vouchers.
Last week, it was revealed that East Sussex County Council would no longer offer summer food vouchers for eligible children after funding switched to a new model.
Reform council leader Andy Woolley clarified the changes after MP Helena Dollimore described the decision as “disgraceful" and called for it to be "urgently reversed".
He said the changes had come after the government’s household support fund, which the council used to provide holiday supermarket vouchers, ended on March 31 and was replaced with a new fund.
The new crisis and resilience fund came into place as of April 1.
The council said this fund is intended to provide support to households experiencing immediate financial hardship and to help build longer-term financial resilience, rather than providing universal holiday food vouchers to all families eligible for free school meals.
However, Ms Dollimore slammed the response stating concerns over the council's communication and application dates "leaving families without any support over the summer".
She said: "East Sussex’s Reform leadership should be honest with the public. They have made a political decision to take away school holiday meal vouchers from children who need them the most.
"Despite the Labour government giving East Sussex County Council continued and record funding of £7.3 million for the crisis and resilience fund back in April, residents have been told that applications will only open in September, leaving families without any support over the summer.
“The government guidance for the allocation of the crisis and resilience fund is clear that local authorities should 'support families in crisis to ensure the poorest children do not go hungry in the school holidays' and 'this may or may not be through the blanket provision of vouchers to those on free-school meals'.
"So why does Reform's leadership on East Sussex County Council plan to cut funding for families who need it most over the summer break?"
She added: “To make matters worse, they have not communicated clearly with families, who have only found out in the last week of term that they will not be receiving these vouchers over the holidays. This is totally unacceptable and puts hundreds of children across Hastings, Rye and the villages at risk.”
She thanked businesses and organisations who were continuing to support families throughout the summer months.
The Liberal Democrat group echoed similar concerns about the effect the decision will have on the "most isolated and vulnerable families and children".
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Councillor Peter Diplock, Liberal Democrat opposition spokesman for children and families said: “The county council does not appear to have done any impact study on how children would be affected before making this decision.
“Several neighbouring local authorities have either made local budget allocations or restructured their hardship schemes to maintain food voucher provision for low-income families over school holidays, rightly seeing this as a core anti-poverty measure.
“Even Reform-led Kent County Council maintained a targeted holiday voucher system. This seems to give a very clear message about the approach Reform will take in East Sussex towards people who are struggling”.
East Sussex County Council has been contacted for further comment.
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