A disabled father says he is being forced to sell his possessions in order to raise enough money to feed his daughter over the summer holidays.
Peter Ainslie told the Southampton Daily Echo that he has less than £1 per day to feed his 15 year old daughter as a result of cuts to free school meal vouchers.
During term-time, his daughter is eligible for free school meals worth £3 a day.
In the holidays, eligible families are instead given supermarket vouchers to cover the cost of lunches.
However, this year the family are receiving a third of what they typically receive according to Peter.
While the family usually gets £90 in vouchers to last the six-week holiday, this year it was cut to £30.
Although he was once a mortgage broker and banker, Peter is now wheelchair-bound and suffers from Carcot foot which affects the nerves and bones.
The 47-year-old is now cared for full-time by his partner Sue Brett, 62.
He said: “I now have less than £1 a day to pay for food for my daughter. It is more than a slap in the face and it has made me really angry.
“There’s only going to be so much stuff I can sell before I run out of things. There’s no tap to turn on and it’s all about to go up again.”
While his rent is paid for, he receives £600 a month in benefits for his family.
Rising costs are forcing Peter to sell his 17-year-old collection of Blu-ray DVDs in order to make ends meet.
However, his most recent British Gas bill of £210 led him to default on the credit cards he uses to buy food.
The UK energy price cap hit a record high after increasing to £1,971 on April 1 and is expected to rise to almost £3,000 in October.
Amid the rising costs of gas, electricity, food and petrol, millions of families across the country are struggling to survive.
The Department for Education has reported that the number of families qualifying for free school meals this year has also hit a record.
Southampton City Council says funding for holiday food vouchers comes from its share of the government’s Household Support Fund.
This year at least a third of the funding is going towards low-income pensioners, but the total amount has remained the same.
The Holiday Activity and Food Programme is designed to help struggling families over the school break.
Darren Paffey, Cabinet Member for Children and Learning, said: “We are still distributing as much as we can to families, but with more people to support and no more money to do this with, the council is being hamstrung in our efforts to support families who are facing tough times.
“I encourage all children who receive free school meals to take part in the Holiday Activities and Food programme.”
For information and support, visit the Southampton City Council Household Support Fund page.
