People in the North East could be missing out on almost £3m in free fruit, vegetables and milk, a leading food charity has warned.
The charity - Sustain - has analysed NHS data showing more than a quarter of eligible families in each of the North East's local authority areas aren't taking advantage of the Government's Healthy Start Scheme. In response, South Shields MP Emma Lewell-Buck is bringing a bill to parliament this summer which would see families automatically enrolled.
The MP said this was especially vital given the region's high child poverty levels. The scheme allows pregnant women and young families in receipt of certain benefits to claim a prepaid card offering between £4.25 and £8.50 each week - up to £34 each month - to spend on groceries.
But the figures, sourced from NHS England, highlight that hundreds of eligible households are missing out. Ms Lewell-Buck said she feared that for many, this was because they didn't know what they were entitled to.
In our region, North Tyneside has the lowest take-up (67.5%), with 567 families missing out on a total of almost £190,000. The picture is similar in Gateshead (70% take-up), Newcastle (67.8%), Sunderland (69,7%), Northumberland (68.2%) and South Tyneside (68.6%). County Durham has a higher take-up - 74.1% - but with a massive 1,527 households thought to have missed out, also has the biggest pile of unclaimed cash (£503,421) according to the charity analysis.
Nationally, as reported by The Mirror, that according to research from Which? the uptake of the Healthy Start scheme sits at just 63.9%. The Government's target for last month was to hit 75%. By comparison, a similar Scottish scheme has 88% take-up.
Ms Lewell-Buck said: "The North East has some of the highest levels of poverty in England, which is why we need the Healthy Start Scheme to live up to its potential. Last year, South Tyneside families lost out on more than £200,000 of free fruit, vegetables and milk - some of them won’t even know they’re entitled to it.
"That’s why I am introducing a Bill in Parliament to push for automatic enrolment for Healthy Start to ensure no eligible family misses out. In the last year we’ve seen the highest food price rises since the 70s – which is why I’m also calling for the value of the vouchers to rise in line with inflation."
Vera Zakharov, Local Action Coordinator at Sustain, said "It is unacceptable that over 207,000 families are missing out on £68m of free fruit, veg and milk at a time when food prices continue to soar. Research shows families with young children are most at risk of food insecurity, and far too many are not even aware that they can access this support.
Zoe McIntyre of the Food Foundation called on the Government to embark on a "comprehensive" public awareness campaign to raise knowledge about the scheme. She said: "It’s truly heart-breaking that more than 200,000 families with very young children are missing out on vital funds that could relieve them of some of the worry and anguish of food insecurity and rising food bills."
To get the help you will also need to be claiming at least one of the following benefits:
- Child tax credit - only if your annual family income is £16,190 or less
- Income support
- Income-based jobseeker's allowance
- Pension credit - but only if you get the child element
- Universal credit - if your family earns £408 or less a month in take-home pay from employment
You can also apply if you are under 18 and pregnant, even if you're not claiming any benefits, or you claim income-related employment and support allowance (ESA) and you're over 10 weeks pregnant.
How much can you get from it?
Those eligible for the scheme In England, Wales and Northern Ireland can get:
- £4.25 a week for each week of pregnancy from the 10th week
- £8.50 a week for each child aged up to one year old
- £4.25 a week for each child between one and four years old
To apply, if you are receiving Universal Credit, visit the NHS website. If you receive another eligible benefit, email healthy.start@nhsbsa.nhs.uk asking for an application form or call 0300 330 7010.
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