A London council that was the first to give free school meals to children in nursery, primary and secondary schools will continue to fund the food indefinitely, it has announced.
Westminster Council announced last year it would expand its free school meals programme to younger and older children until this summer.
But now it has committed a further £1.6million and said it will continue paying for the extra lunches for nursery and secondary school pupils permanently.
The government pays for free school meals for children in Reception, Year one and Year two, and Mayor Sadiq Khan funds free school meals for older primary pupils in London.
Westminster council said its funding will be combined with the school lunch money from the mayor, to ensure every child between the ages of three and 14 receives a free lunch, for as long as the Mayor funds his programme.
A spokeswoman for the council said the guarantee that children will have at least one meal a day is expected to improve the health and wellbeing for those currently experiencing food insecurity.
She said: “This will bring benefits for children’s development, as well as mental health benefits for their families, reducing concerns about food insecurity.”
Westminster Council was one of the first local authorities in the UK to launch its own free school lunch programme in primary schools in January 2023. In September 2023 Mr Khan offered all London primary pupils free lunches as an emergency measure to alleviate the cost of living crisis felt by many London parents.
He has now pledged to continue the funding for the next four years.
Councillor Adam Hug, Leader of Westminster City Council, said: “Free school lunches have offered a lifeline to struggling families during a time of soaring food and energy prices. We want children in Westminster to have the best start in life. Extending our free school lunch offer is an important step in supporting families and ensuring children can focus on their learning.
“We’ve heard heartbreaking stories of children being sent to school with just a couple of biscuits in their lunchbox. Research shows that a nutritious lunch has enormous benefits for a child’s concentration in the classroom and maximising their learning potential.”
Westminster council has also announced a £1.9million Household Support Fund which will cover meals in the school holidays for low-income families.
