‘We need to act now – we can’t fail our children’ – government urged to give all children free school meals during cost of living crisis

Rochdale Council has called for free school meals to be given to every child, regardless of background, while the cost of living crisis persists.

A motion urging the government to ‘ensure universal provision for all school age groups’ was unanimously backed at a meeting on Wednesday night.

Moved by Labour’s Councillor Rachel Massey, it noted that one in three school-age children living in poverty were already missing out on free school meals because of the ‘restrictive eligibility criteria’ – and many more were now struggling.

“No child should go hungry while in school, we know that there are increasing numbers of struggling families that don’t qualify for free school meals,” Councillor Massey told the meeting.

“School meals are not an optional extra, they are absolutely essential to ensure that our most vulnerable are fed, healthy, cared for and thriving.”

In Rochdale, 29% of children live in relative low-income families, according to the latest figures –  the fifth highest rate in the north west.

Councillor Massey said the cost of living crisis meant there was no time to ‘mess about debating what is a fact’

“This is only going to get worse,” she said. “We need to act now – we can’t fail our children.”

While the Conservatives ultimately backed the motion – and said they had already written to the government on the issue – they preferred a more ‘targeted’ approach.

Councillor Peter Winkler said his group agreed with giving free school meals to more children – including those from ‘middle’ income families – but had concerns the otherwise ‘brilliant’ Labour motion was uncosted and set no fixed time limit.

He said: “On the original motion we would be asking the government to use hard working taxpayers’ money, from Rochdale and elsewhere, to feed the children of everyone, regardless of whether they needed that support or not – even millionaires.”

And he told the meeting that making every child eligible for free school meals would mean they also qualified for the ‘pupil premium’ – extra government funding that supports the education of disadvantaged youngsters. This, he said, would have ‘massive implications’.

“We want to see targeted support where it’s needed,” he added. “We can support those hard working families but we need to do it without being irresponsible and giving scarce public funds to those who don’t need this kind of support.”

Labour’s Councillor Liam O’Rourke said he appreciated Councillor Winkler’s point, but felt the Tories were failing to take into account the ‘sad stigma’ that sees some children not claiming meals they are entitled to and the ‘bureaucracy’ that a system of targeted support entails.

The Tory amendment was supported by Middleton Independents Party and the Lib Dems’ Councillor Irene Davidson, but voted down by the much larger Labour group.

Councillors Andy Kelly and Dave Bamford (both Lib Dem) abstained.

The original Labour motion was unanimously passed.

Rochdale full council met at Number One Riverside on Wednesday night (19 October).

Nick Statham, Local Democracy Reporting Service