Supermarket and shop vouchers will be used to help supply low income families with free school meals under new plans.
As announced previously, government and local authorities are expecting schools to continue to provide support to pupils if they are affected by coronavirus, or if the school is closed temporarily or only open to certain groups.
Lincolnshire County Council is advising schools to contact their catering teams and providers to see if they can prepare meals or food parcels that could be collected by or delivered to families.
A council spokesman said there is also a national approach to providing support being drawn up.
Although further details are to be confirmed, schools will be able to order vouchers directly from supermarkets or shops in their communities to be emailed or printed and posted to families.
Costs are due to be covered by the Department for Education.
The government has also confirmed that the total value of vouchers offered to each eligible child per week will exceed the rate it pay for free school meals, due to families being unable to buy food in bulk and incurring higher costs.
Child may be able to get free school meals if families get any of the following:
Income Support
Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
The guaranteed element of Pension Credit
Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
Universal Credit – if you applied on or after April 1, 2018 your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)
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Plans to build more than 200 new homes in Stamford, due to be rejected, have been withdrawn at the last minute.
South Kesteven District Council’ planning committee was told the latest news about the Uffington Road application from Vistry Partnerships, Cross Keys Developments, Wm Morrisons and New River Retail during its meeting on Thursday.
Officers had recommended turning down the application and said the proposal was “of poor quality design and layout, falling well short of an acceptable standard” and that it “failed to suitably reflect the gateway location to the town”.
How the site would be laid out.
The new homes would have included a mixture of one and two-bedroom apartments and two to four-bedroom houses. The plans would also see 136 of the properties (64%) allocated as affordable.
Objections from Stamford’s town council and civic society along with several residents had raised concerns over the impact on local infrastructure, noise and light, drainage and highways.
Prior to their withdrawal, the applicants said the proposals would contribute towards the demand for housing in the area and said it would connect pedestrian links, create access to public transport, and incorporate existing green infrastructure.
Lincolnshire County Council has outlined its £20 million plans for improvements to the A16 corridor between Boston and Spalding, after funding was secured as part of the Chancellor’s Autumn budget.
Lincolnshire received close to £30 million in levelling up funding from Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Autumn budget which was announced on Wednesday, £19.6 million of which will go towards improvements to the A16 corridor between Spalding and Boston.
The other £10 million will go towards a new cinema complex in Gainsborough. The money will be spent by the end of 2024, and will focus on numerous sections of the A16 as part of a huge improvement overhaul.
The route is key for the agri-food industry, and an improvement bid was submitted by Lincolnshire County Council as part of the government’s levelling up fund, in an attempt to reduce congestion in the area.
The improvements will be:
A16 / Marsh Lane junction, Boston: Construction of a dedicated free-flow lane for A16 northbound traffic, making it easier for freight vehicles accessing the local industrial estate. There will also be an enhanced non-motorised user crossing across Marsh Lane arm built
A16 / Station Road junction, Kirton: Enhancement to a fully signalised crossroads as well as widening and lengthening of both A16 approaches
A16 / B1180 junction, Spalding: Widening of the junction to provide two wider lanes within the roundabout, along with lengthening the two lane approaches and exits on the A16 arms
A16 / A151 junction, Spalding: Widening the junction to add additional circulatory lanes, lengthening the two lane approaches and exits on the A16 arm and the enhancement of crossing facilities
Wyberton Low Road active mode improvements, Boston: Provision of cycle tracks on London Road, upgraded signalised crossing over the A16, consideration of a 20mph speed limit and traffic calming measures along Wyberton Low Road with a shared use footpath. This will address the conflict between cyclists and heavy goods vehicles on Marsh Lane through the Riverside Industrial Estate
A151 Camel Gate junction active mode improvements, Spalding: Provision of a two-way segregated cycle track on the east side of Camel Gate, signalised crossing, widening of the existing shared use path on Holbeach Road, and improving connections to Springfield Outlet area
Cllr Richard Davies, executive member for highways, said: “This announcement is fantastic news for Lincolnshire, and we very much welcome the government’s commitment to ensuring every part of the country gets the funding it needs.
“Now that our bid’s been confirmed, the next step is to complete detailed feasibility studies for each of the improvement projects we included. Once these are complete early next year, the studies will outline the costs, risks and general design requirements for each set of works.
“From there, we’ll move into the detailed design phase, with a view to having the money awarded to us spent by the end of 2024 – the timeframe specified by government.”
Large tailbacks can be seen in central Lincoln on Thursday, as a lane closure on Tritton Road proves to be a commuter’s nightmare.
The work is being undertaken by Western Power Distribution and is due to finish on Sunday, October 31.
It involves digging works next to Morrisons petrol station on Tritton Road, and closures have been put in place to allow Western Power to complete it safely.
Digging works by the footpath on Tritton Road. | Photo: The Lincolnite
It has resulted in the middle lane of Tritton Road northbound being closed by Morrisons, and then the left lane being closed past the junction for the supermarket.
A lane closure on Tritton Road is causing a traffic headache in the city. | Photo: The Lincolnite
The footpath and cycle lane have also been closed while works take place, with pedestrians using the left lane of the road, which is closed to vehicles, instead.
The pedestrian footpath has also been closed. | Photo: The Lincolnite
The closures have caused congestion issues on Tritton Road throughout Thursday.
The Lincolnite has contacted Western Power Distribution for a statement.
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