Thousands more Stockport children could qualify for free school meals under a £1.9m plan voted through by councillors. Currently only households on Universal Credit with an income of less that £7,400 per year are entitled to means-tested free school meals.
But a Labour proposal approved by the full council on Thursday extends this to families who receive housing benefit or council tax support. It is estimated there are more than 3,600 children living in Stockport households that receive this help who do not get free school meals.
Provided the carried motion is incorporated into budget proposals for the 2023/24 financial year, it would come into effect from June and provide £500 support per child over 12 months. The package would be paid for by one-off funding and is intended to ‘significantly help’ families’ during the cost-of-living crisis.
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Coun Christine Carrigan, who moved the Labour motion, said in a statement: “We understand that regardless of where you live or how much you earn, this cost-of-living crisis is not just hitting the poorest - it’s hitting people right across Stockport and if we can help, we have a duty to do that.”
The plan is not entirely uncontroversial, however, having been tabled as a Labour amendment to a Lib Dem motion at the full council meeting. The original proposal from the Lib Dem administration called on the education secretary to extend free school meals to all children while the cost of living crisis persists.
It also asked the government to carry out a review of the eligibility criteria and provide free school meals during the holidays ‘as standard’. Moving the proposal, Coun Wendy Meikle said: "The criteria for free school meals is quite low. Some children are going to school hungry.
"We have heard of many people who are working having to use food banks and we are in a terrible financial crisis that seems to get worse by the day." She added: “With the extraordinary prices we are having to pay for energy, fuel etcetera I don’t want any child to go hungry. "
But Labour claimed the Lib Dems fell ‘far short of what is required’.Coun Carrigan told the council it was essential to provide targeted help 'right to the heart of the people who need it most'.
“This amendment does that,” she said. “It identifies families that we know are being hit hardest and gives them at least £500 worth of support.
“More than that it addresses those who may not obviously be struggling and gives them the opportunity to access that support as well. This motion addresses a long standing issue of free school meal eligibility and it helps those in most need during the cost of living crisis.”
The Lib Dems expressed disappointment that Labour had not approached them with the amendment much earlier and said they could not back it after only having 10 minutes to consider the detail. They also had concerns it was a short-term solution to a long-standing problem that was the responsibility of the government - not the council - to solve.
The group abstained on the amendment Coun Meikle said the amendment placed the financial burden on council taxpayers rather than forcing the hand of ministers. “I think if enough authorities make the stand that we have tonight, we would get some movement on it,” she said.
However the amendment was carried at the vote and then passed as the motion. Stockport council met at the town hall on Thursday night (January 12).
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