Councillors support free school meals for all primary school children

Warrington Borough Councillors supported a Liberal Democrat motion calling on the government to provide new money for free school meals for all primary school children, including vouchers for holidays. 45 councillors voted in favour with two Conservatives against and one abstaining.

Liberal Democrats are proud that it was our initiative when in coalition to introduce free school meals for children in reception, year 1 and year 2. The time has arrived when more needs to be done.

Headteachers say they have never seen anything like the perfect storm of rising poverty, higher prices and shrinking school budgets resulting in more hungry children in classrooms, but fewer resources to help them. The proportion of children eligible for free school meals has jumped from 15% in 2019 to 22% this year with 1.9 million now eligible.

The problem is the increase in the 'invisible hungry' - families in poverty, but not poor enough to qualify. Child Poverty Action Group estimates there are 800,000 families below the poverty line on Universal Credit or other benefits who are missing out.

This topic hit the headlines when Marcus Rashford got involved during the pandemic. His actions resulted in a government announcement in June 2020 that free school meals would be provided to disadvantaged children over the school holidays. Another high-profile campaigner is Jamie Oliver who has warned that children are going to school with empty lunchboxes and no money for food.

Recently, the Daily Mirror teamed up with the National Education Union and 38 Degrees in a campaign to demand free school meals for all primary school children. The Food Foundation has said that the government would be condemning thousands of children to a very difficult start in life with lifelong impacts if the scheme was not expanded during the cost-of-living crisis.

According to figures from the National Education Union, 4338 children in Warrington North, 24% of the total, and 4096 in Warrington South, 19% of the total, are in poverty. Giving a free school meal to all our children will enable them to learn properly and so reach their potential. It would also put money back into parents' pockets which can be used to pay for other essentials like heating at home or hobbies and after-school clubs. The Chancellor has said that his government is committed to education, but this comes after a decade of real terms cuts and frightening figures about schools with huge budget challenges.

Cllr Mark Browne adds: Nearly 8500 children in Warrington living in poverty is a shocking statistic which is more like an extract from an 1880s Dickensian novel than Warrington in 2022. It is another demonstration of the most vulnerable bearing the brunt of years of Tory mismanagement.