Mayor of London calls for universal free school meals

As the cost of living crisis continues, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan has called on the Government to extend the provision of free school meals to all primary school children.
 
Whilst some local authorities in London already provide free healthy school meals for all primary school pupils, Khan is calling for the government to make this funding universal during term-time and make free meal vouchers available for those in most need during the school holidays.

The Mayor has also called for an increase in the funding given for free school meals, as this has been frozen since 2020. Schools currently receive £2.34 per meal for infant children, the funding level was set at £2.30 in 2014 and increased by 4p (1.7%) in 2020. This has forced some schools to make up the difference out of their own budgets, resulting in cuts in other areas.
 
According to official government figures, the proportion of all pupils eligible for free school meals has increased over the last 12 months from 20.8 per cent in January 2021 to 22.5 per cent in January 2022. More than 2.3 million Londoners live below the poverty line and 33 per cent of adults have skipped meals to save money to feed their children. According to research from the Food Standards Agency, across the country, the number of people using a food bank has risen to nearly one in six this March from around one in 10 in March 2021.
 
As well as helping all families with the cost of living, research also shows that making free school meals available to all helps reduce stigma and therefore increases take up among families who need them most.
 
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “Free school meals were something my family relied upon – and every child in London deserves that safety net.
 
“With the summer holidays on the horizon it is essential that the Government act now to reinstate the meal voucher system to give families dignity and nutritional choice over the summer. This should then be followed by the introduction of universal free school meals for all primary school children from the start of the new school year in September."

The Mayor is also calling on the Government to lift the benefit cap and remove the two child limit, abolish the no recourse to public funds conditions, extend eligibility to Healthy Start Vouchers and the Warmer Homes Discount to everyone on Universal Credit, regardless of earnings, and increase support for housing costs through the benefit system to ensure they cover rents. He is also asking for the government to give him the power to freeze rents in the capital for two years, which he says could save struggling Londoners almost £3,000.

The Mayor's Cost of Living Hub was launched in April to help Londoners access information, financial support and advice on managing household finances. The Warmer Homes Programme provides free heating, insulation and ventilation improvements for Londoners on low incomes. The Mayor also co-chairs the London Living Wage City Programme which aims to increase the numbers of employers paying their staff fairly and has overseen the number of LLW employers quadruple to 2,500 since he was elected in May 2016.