by Amelia Grace Barnfield
The cuts have led to the demand of answers in the local area, says Steve McCabe, MP for Selly Oak, as free meals for pupils aged four to seven may be scrapped in Osborne’s spending review:
“The policy was designed to ensure that all children aged between four and seven would get a healthy lunchtime meal to give them the best start in their school life.
“If the Government does scrap free school meals, the combination of this and the cuts to tax credits for low income families is likely to have a damaging impact on children from the poorest backgrounds.”
The potential cuts to Department for Education will affect 183 thousand children in the West Midlands as plans to scrap free school meals may be introduced.
Free meals were introduced in 2014 by Nick Clegg and it was estimated that the measure would save parents up to £400 per year per child.
New kitchens were installed to help cater for this scheme which will become redundant once the free meals are scrapped. Local school, Acocks Green Primary, along with many other, have invested money into this scheme by ensuring that they have adequate facilities to provide the service.
The Conservative party pledged to continue this scheme in their 2015 manifesto, however, £14 billion which is spent on early years’ education is subject to be scrapped. It is estimated that £800 million has been spent on the Infant Free School Meals programme, but this programme could soon come to an end.
The abolition of this scheme along with cuts to tax credits is likely to have a huge impact upon families in the local area. Cassandra Smith from Oldbury said: “My daughter will be going to school in the next couple of years and I’d love her to have school dinners, I looked forward to mine every day as a child. Nowadays they are healthy and nutritious and I want my child to have them for free rather than having to pay £400 a year in school meals.”
Labour councillor John Clancy has pledged to introduce universal free school meals, as part of a strategy to cut child poverty in Birmingham, if he will be elected as the next leader of the Birmingham City Council.
Universal Free School Meals in primary schools – campaign to include it in all 2014 Labour local election manifestos: http://t.co/DV3blZxlPt
— John Clancy (@johnclancy) September 10, 2013
Read our liveblogs of the first hustings and second hustings that happened this week.
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