Families in Maldon district receiving free school meals will next benefit from the scheme the county council ran over Christmas during the February half term.

Over the two-week Christmas school holiday, Essex County County (ECC) provided free school meal vouchers worth £30 each for 34,412 eligible children and young people at schools and colleges in the county council's area.

Vouchers were funded through the Covid-19 Winter Grant Scheme and distributed via schools and colleges.

Eligible families received the full allowance of £15 per child per week.

The same scheme will be running during the half term between February 15 and February 19.

But ECC, having spent more than £1million expanding the budget to meet demand, has said that during term time schools and colleges are responsible for providing free school meals and receive government funding to do so.

National guidance says that schools are expected to work with their existing catering team or food provider and can provide food parcels or vouchers in place of the one meal-a-day eligible pupils would receive in school.

Councillor Louise McKinlay, cabinet member for children and families at ECC, said: "During term time, schools and colleges are responsible for free school meals in line with national guidance.

"I know our Essex schools and colleges are working hard to provide food not just for the children of critical workers and vulnerable children who are in school but also to get parcels or vouchers to the parents of eligible children who are at home during lockdown so they can give them lunch.

"We look forward to a further government announcement about this national scheme."

However, images have circulated on social media in the past few days revealing free school meal parcels sent to families in some areas of the country. These include a £30 parcel estimated to contain just over £5 worth of food, many put together by private catering firms who usually provide hot school lunches under a contract. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer described the food parcels as "woefully inadequate".