MP welcomes Government u-turn on funding free school meals

UPDATED:WARRINGTON North MP Charlotte Nichols has welcomed a Government u-turn on funding free school meals throughout the upcoming summer holidays so that children can have a holiday without hunger.

Charlotte said:”I welcome the Government having done the right thing and listened to Labour and campaigners, including Marcus Rashford, on the importance of extending the Free School Meals provision over summer. In Warrington North, 2337 children are eligible for Free School Meals, so today’s u-turn will come as a huge relief to their families.
“We know that Warrington Foodbank is under extraordinary pressure, as are many of the community-led initiatives which have stepped up during the crisis, and this will help ensure that they are not stretched to breaking point over the school holidays.”
Holiday hunger often means that parents on low incomes skip meals themselves so that their children can eat. Parents often have to purchase less expensive and unhealthy food during the summer months to make ends meet and sometimes miss household utility bill payments in order to purchase food.

Often families are supported through charitable and council-run holiday lunch schemes and food banks. However, with the added pressure of the coronavirus crisis plunging families into deeper poverty and social distancing raising questions on how lunch schemes may run, many families had been concerned on how they will afford food during the summer holidays.
The Government had intitially confirmed that the provision of free school meals, including the voucher scheme designed to stop children going hungry during this crisis, would not be funded during the summer holidays.
But following a campaign led by Manchester United and England star Marcus Rashford the Government today announced a u-turn.
Rashford, who help raise £20million to boost food distribution with the charity FareShare, was worried ending the scheme next month would affect some of the most vulnerable in society.
In an open letter to the government he wrote: “The Government has taken a ‘whatever it takes’ approach to the economy – I’m asking you today to extend that same thinking to protecting all vulnerable children across England.”
It comes at a time when Warrington Food Bank has seen an increase for its services more than double during lockdown.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman said he “understands children and parents face unprecedented situations” during the coronavirus outbreak.
He added that payment will be made through vouchers – most likely a one-off six-week voucher, to be given to eligible families at the end of term and able to be spent in supermarkets.
The spokesman added Mr Johnson welcomed Rashford’s “contribution to the debate around poverty and respects he’s been using his profile as a leading sportsman to highlight important issues”.