Stephen calls on the Government to fund free school meals

Stephen has written to the Secretary of State for Education demanding he reverses his decision to withdraw funding for free school meals over the summer holidays as part of Labour’s ‘Holiday without Hunger’ campaign.

Many children are at risk of going hungry this summer as the government withdraws support for the provision of free school meals. With the added pressure of the coronavirus crisis plunging families into deeper poverty and social distancing and added pressures raising questions on whether holiday lunch schemes may run, many families are rightly concerned about how they will afford food during the summer holidays.

Stephen said: ‘’Children are at a heightened risk of going hungry this summer as the Covid-19 crisis hits family incomes and charities and food banks struggle to provide the same level of holiday support. There is a simple solution to this, and that is for the government to continue funding free school meals throughout the summer holidays. Their refusal to do so is a deeply callous move. That is why I have written to the Secretary of State today to ask him to reverse his decision as part of Labour’s ‘Holiday without Hunger’ campaign.’’