Children’s charity welcomes positive vote for Hull’s free school meals policy

A leading children’s charity has welcomed a decision by Hull City Council to re-affirm its commitment to its successful universal free school meals policy.

The Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) says that this evening’s vote means that the Liberal Democrat leadership should now abandon its plans to scrap the scheme, which gives all primary school children a free school meal, when the pilot project ends in May 2007.

Councillors voted by 29 votes to 25 in favour of a motion demanding that Hull “reaffirms its policy on healthy and free school meals as a way of ensuring universal benefits throughout the City”.

CPAG wrote to all councillors in the city asking them not to pull the plug on the project before the three-year pilot has been fully evaluated. And 74 MPs from all parties have signed a parliamentary motion which called on Hull City Council to reconsider its decision to axe the scheme.

Kate Green, CPAG’s Chief Executive, said today:

“We’re delighted that a majority of Hull councillors have voted unmistakably in favour of the city’s universal free school meals policy. It shows confidence in a pilot scheme that has already been a huge success across the city.

“The current leadership of Hull City Council should now back down and drop their plans to axe universal free school meals regardless of the final results of the pilot project. They must now make a considered decision once the pilot project has finished next May and been fully evaluated.

“But all the evidence so far suggests that the policy is indeed working and has had a significant impact with take-up doubling, more children eating healthier meals and an increase in pupils’ readiness to learn.

“So we will continue to make the case for universal free school meals in Hull and across the country. If charges were re-introduced for most families, fewer children will get a decent healthy meal each day.

“If Hull goes back to the scheme that operates in the rest of the country, thousands of children in poor families will not be eligible for free school meals and even amongst those who are entitled far too many will not get them. Fear of stigma, the bureaucracy involved in claiming them and lack of awareness about who is eligible will mean that many children lose out."

For further information from CPAG please contact:
Alex Belardinelli
CPAG Press Officer
Tel. 020 7812 5216 or 07816 909302
abelardinelli@cpag.org.uk