Councils reassure campaigners on free school meals

As leaders from four councils give evidence to Holyrood’s Education Committee today more Scottish councils have reassured campaigners that free school meals will be rolled out to all P1 to P3 pupils in 2010.

The majority of 24 Councils who submitted written evidence to Holyrood’s Education Committee have already said they “welcome” or are positive about the agreement between the Scottish Government and COSLA to roll out free school meals to all P1 to P3 pupils in 2010, despite widely reported concerns over funding.

However in letters to the Scottish Free School Meals Campaign a further two, South Ayrshire and Argyll and Bute, have reassured campaigners that children in their areas will also benefit.

Councillor Hugh Hunter, South Ayrshire Council Leader, wrote that there is “no reason why South Ayrshire Council would not implement the school meals roll out in 2010” whilst Councillor Dick Walsh leader of of Argyll and Bute wrote that “Argyll and Bute is working to deliver all our Concordat commitments”.

Other councils added to their response to the Education committee, Perth and Kinross Council saying that they are “committed to introducing a comprehensive free school meals programme in line with the agreement between the Scottish Government and COSLA.”

Councillor Allan Wright, deputy Convener of Moray Council also wrote to the campaigners saying that “the Moray Council…will deliver free school meals to all 1 to P3 pupils from August 2010”, whilst Renfrewshire Council leader Derek Mackay told them “it is the intention of Renfrewshire Council to implement the policy as agreed in the Concordat as planned”.

Of the 24 Councils that gave written evidence to the Committee:

• Ten explicitly welcomed or are positive about the policy and make no suggestion that they will not be rolling out free school meals in 2010 (as agreed in the Concordat between local government and the Scottish Government).
• Four provide financial information only, without comment, but do not make any suggestion they will not be rolling out the policy as agreed in the Concordat.
• Four welcome the policy, but do raise concerns about funding and raise a question mark over whether they can implement.
• Only four suggest they oppose the policy, of which three won’t commit to funding it, or say they will have to cut other education services.
• One has concerns over funding but has provisionally allocated funding, and one has yet to take a view.

In evidence to the Committee East Ayrshire “welcomes the proposal”, saying that it “is very well placed to anticipate the expected uptake of free school meals” and “ultimately…would be supportive of a move toward free school meals for all pupils.”

Fife, another of the pilot authorities, in its evidence to the Committee said; “There were no major difficulties through the trial and we believe it will be relatively straightforward to roll out fully”.

According to John Dickie, head of the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) in Scotland and a leading member of the Scottish Campaign for Free School Meals

”We are pleased that both councils and the Scottish Government are working to deliver the joint commitment to roll out free school meals to all P1 to P3 pupils. We must not lose sight of how extraordinarily successful the universal approach to free school meals has been. The pilots have massively boosted the number of children getting a healthy meal at school, relieved financial burdens on hard pressed families and led to reported improvements in attitudes to healthy eating at home.”

Notes for editors

1.0 Written submissions from Cosla and local authorities can be viewed at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/s3/committees/ellc/documents/provisionofschoollunches.pdf

For further details
Please contact John Dickie, Head of CPAG in Scotland on 0141 552 3656