Campaign
for free school meals Many people have contacted CPAG to show support and to explain how important they think the campaign is. One parent wrote "I am giving my support to the campaign for free school meals. As a recipient of income support my daughter has free school meals and so I am a big supporter of the continuation and extension of this benefit. I would therefore like to join CPAG's Free School Meals Local Campaign Network". Another supporter argued "Everyone's a winner - the children, parents, teachers, health service - well nourished children are happier, learn better and need less healthcare". Our aim during the next six months is to increase local support by asking people to sign the Free School Meals pledge and by lobbying MPs encouraging them to sign as well. Then, in the next session of Parliament, we will use this support to persuade the Government to give free school meals to all children who need them. What you can do to support the Free School Meals Campaign:
School meals - local
action takes off FIFE CPAG has met with its local councillors to discuss take-up initiatives. Branch members have written to various local MPs, including Gordon Brown MP, Chancellor for the Exchequer, and Liberal Democrat MP, Mingus Campbell, asking them to sign the pledge. They are also organising street stalls in three local high streets. BRADFORD CPAG branch members have been busy gathering information on the school meals service and provision in local schools. The feedback so far seems to indicate that schools have different systems for implementing the free school meals for children. Alice Mahon MP was the guest speaker at the branches AGM in June which concentrated on the Free School Meals campaign. The branch will be organising a street stall in Bradford city centre for the 'International Day for the Eradication of Poverty' on 17 October, to publicise the Free School Meals campaign. IRVINE & DISTRICT CPAG branch is currently writing to MPs and the new members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) to get them to sign up to the Free School Meals pledge. NORTH EAST CPAG is joining with the local UNISON trade union branch, and organising a massive mail-out of the Free School Meals pledge, as well as setting up street stalls to get local people to support the campaign. It is also collecting information from local authorities in the North East about their school meals provision. LEICESTERSHIRE CPAG has been asking questions at the County Education Forum about the promotion of school meals in the transition period to partial delegation of school meals budgets to individual schools. Questions were also asked about the failure to provide free school meals to all refugees. OXFORD CPAG members met with local Oxford MP - Evan Harris MP and Andrew Smith MP - to lobby them about the extension of free school meals for children from families receiving the new tax credits. The theme of the next branches conference is food nutrition, and Barbara Dobson, an expert on nutrition, is one of the guest speakers. There are more details about the conference below. Please remember that you do not have to be in a CPAG branch to come to the conference but you or your organisation must be a CPAG member. Whatever category you come under put the date in your diary now. CPAG
Members and Branches Campaign Conference 1999 Saturday 9 October 1999 - 11am - 4pm at York Council for Voluntary Organisations Menu for Campaign Action to include discussions on what is the best nutritional diet for children, summary of best practice by local authorities on provision of school meals, particularly the take-up of free school meals, how to lobby your MP, and what makes a good story for the local newspaper and radio. For more details contact
Susan Brighouse, Campaigns Officer - Local Networks, The pledges are coming
in! Time to set up a branch? CPAG
in Parliament Baroness Turner of Camden moved an amendment to extend free school meals to children whose parents are in receipt of tax credits. Baroness Turner made the point that 30 per cent of children do not go home to a cooked meal. Lord Swinfen and Lord Higgins also spoke in support of the amendment. In reply, Baroness Hollis, Government spokesperson, said she recognised that there was a particular problem with people coming off income support because they lose school meals when they move into work. In this situation, school meals are a heavy expense. She considered, however, that parents were already sufficiently compensated for this - tax credits are more generous than family credit and some lone parents will in future be able to keep their income support for the first two weeks of work. CPAG will continue to discuss this with the Government on the basis that free school meals represent an investment in the health and future of our children. Welfare Reform and
Pensions Bill
These cuts will exclude significant numbers of disabled people from benefit and break the promise the Government made on 30 March 1998 that "future savings would come from helping disabled people to get jobs rather than reducing benefit entitlement." The Welfare Reform and Pensions Bill had its Report stage in the House of Commons on 20 May; 67 Labour MPs voted for the amendment opposing the cuts to incapacity benefit. The Bill has just started its passage through the House of Lords. If the Government is defeated in the House of Lords, the Bill will return to the Commons for a further vote. So act now! Contact your MP and ask her/him to contact the Secretary of State for Social Security to express continued concerns about the cuts to incapacity benefits. CPAG meets Clarke
on meals CPAG
briefings
If you would like a copy
of one of the above briefings or if you would like to know how your
MP voted in the Welfare Reform and Pensions Bill, please contact
Djuna Thurley on CPAG
calls for end to fuel poverty as regulator launches consultation
document "We welcome the Government's commitment to tackling the fuel poverty that affects five million households. It is unacceptable that thousands are being cut off from their gas supply during the winter months. Today, we are calling on the Government to ensure that fuel companies cannot deny access to gas to the poor, families on low incomes and those with disabilities, at a time when they need it most." He adds, "The new Fuel Rights Handbook will be a valuable resource for advisers across the country who are helping their clients keep the heating on and the hot water flowing during winter. We expect that the Handbook will help all consumers to tackle payment problems and to know their rights". The conference and book launch came a week before OFFER/OFGAS published a consultation document on the provision of fuel supplies for low income households. The report Social Action Plan:Discussion Document attempts to identify the causes of fuel poverty and aims to promote a debate on how to eliminate it. According to Callum McCarthy, Director General of Electricity and Gas Supply "the scale and nature of the problem calls for a response from many organisations". The first deadline for submissions is 16 July and there is a further period set aside for contributions in October and November. The document asks for replies to questions on some very key issues eg, "What role should electricity and gas companies play in helping disadvantaged households to achieve affordable warmth?" Why not get a copy of the document from OFFER and work with others to make a submission? It can be obtained from OFFER, Hagley House, Hagley Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B16 8QG. Or call 0121 456 2100 and ask them to send you a copy. Advanced
notice of major conference on child poverty in the year 2000: Main Speaker: Chancellor of the Exchequer Rt. Hon. Gordon Brown MP Following Tony Blair's public commitment to ending the scourge of child poverty this conference will bring together key policy makers, academics and voluntary sector bodies to debate a strategy for the elimination of child poverty in the United Kingdom. Further details will be made available in due course. The conference is being organised by Neil Stewart Associates. Good
school meals prevent crime Children, Health and Crime claims that children suffering from health problems are more likely to get involved in crime than those who are fit and healthy and that a minimum standard for school meals is one way of addressing the problem. Rob Allen, Nacro's research director and member of the Government's youth justice board said, "Money alone is not the answer, but investing the right kind of resources in promoting children's health can pay for itself by reducing demand on the criminal justice system and on health services when children grow up". The Nacro report costs £5. Tel: 020 7840 6427 for details. |
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