Catherine McKinnell, Member of Parliament for Newcastle North, has called on the Government to address the failure in the Healthy Start Scheme –  a Government programme designed to help struggling families with young children access healthy food.

The Government is in the process of transitioning Healthy Start recipients from physical vouchers to pre-paid cards. But according to researchers at Northumbria University and Feeding Britain, the transition has encountered serious problems, with cards not working at checkouts and an unresponsive helpline. Researchers have raised concerns that this is increasing anxiety and the stigmatisation of disadvantaged families.

Speaking in a debate on Regional Inequalities and Child Poverty in Parliament, Catherine highlighted problems with the Healthy Start Scheme and that “one of the concerns that have come to light recently, particularly through a report from Northumbria University and Feeding Britain, is that there are incredible struggles with the current roll out from the paper-based system to a pre-paid card system.”

“Families are literally finding in their greatest hour of need that they are being rejected at the tills and can’t get any help through the helpline”.

Catherine called on Ministers to “commit today to  resolving this as a matter of urgency to ensure that these children particularly, but these families, can get support that they absolutely need at this time”.