GMB welcome House of Lords decision to delay free school meal cuts
GMB welcome House of Lords vote to delay change to eligibility rules for free school meals with 120,933 pupils in South East and 86,108 pupils in Dorset and Wiltshire currently eligible. “This will impact the most marginalised and poorest of children many for whom this is their only hot & nutritious meal of the day,” says GMB Southern
GMB is calling on ministers to re-think plans to cut free school meals in England after a defeat in the House of Lords. On Tuesday 21 March, peers backed a motion tabled by Labour’s Steve Bassam by just seven (167-160) to postpone the shake-up for at least six months, allowing time for a "poverty impact assessment."
The vote comes after the Tory government, along with the DUP voted to cut free school meals in England on Tuesday 13 March. The vote in the House of Commons cut the threshold for free school meals for the children of families on Universal Credit to £7,400 per year.
In England, 14% of all primary school pupils are known to be eligible for, and are currently claiming, free school meals.
In the South East, 9.6% of pupils are known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals. The council with most children claiming school meals is Portsmouth which currently sees 18.5% of its 25,474 pupils eligible and claiming the meals. Other councils who have a high percentage of pupils claiming free school meals include; Southampton with 17.6%; Reading with 14%, Isle of Wight with 13.4%, Brighton and Hove with 13.1%, East Sussex with 12.3%, and Medway with 11.9%.
In the Dorset and Wiltshire area, 11.6% of pupils are known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals. The council with most children claiming school meals is Dorset which currently sees 12.2% of its 55,360 pupils eligible and claiming the meals. Other councils who have a high percentage of pupils claiming free school meals include; Bournemouth with 11.9%; Swindon with 11.9%, and Poole with 10.2%.
The figures for the 19 councils in the South East and for the 5 councils in the Dorset and Wiltshire area are set out in the tables on the right. These are from a new study by GMB Southern Region of official data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS). It compares the number of pupils on roll with the number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals, followed by that number as a percentage.
Paul Maloney, GMB Regional Secretary said: "On 13 March 2018 the Tory government along with the DUP voted to CUT free school meals in England. This means that almost 1 million children in England will be denied a free School meal.
"This will impact the most marginalised and poorest of children many for whom this is their only hot & nutritious meal of the day. We had the Tory leader, Margaret Thatcher take away milk from school children and now we have Theresa May taking school meals away.
"Our late President, Mary Turner, fought hard to ensure all children received free school meals. This is her legacy and as a union we must continue this fight. This is a national issue and it affords an urgent national campaign."
Contact: Michelle Gordon 07866 369 259 or GMB Press Office 07970 114 762
