With the cost-of-living crisis looming, and many families across the country feeling the burden of spiralling bills and inflation, the last thing parents need is to be worrying about feeding their children.  

A child stops being eligible for free school meals when their household earns more than £7,400 in Universal Credit. 

The Council will be lobbying the Government for an expansion of the scheme to include all young people from a household where a parent or guardian is in receipt of Universal Credit or equivalent benefits, in line with National Food Strategy recommendations.  

Councillor Matt Morrow, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said: “Free school meals have become a lifeline and we should be making access easier for struggling households, not creating barriers.  

“Research has shown that children who are hungry at school struggle to concentrate, perform poorly, and have worse attendance records.   

“Too many families are being caught between a rock and hard place by not earning enough to provide food comfortably but earning too much to access support.  

“With the cost of living becoming increasingly daunting, we simply cannot expect families on the breadline to find the money for lunches, especially considering the cutting of the £20 a week Universal Credit uplift. 

“I urge the Government to change the rules as soon as possible to ensure that when school starts in September no child will be going hungry.” 

Councillors agreed to write to the Government following a motion at Full Council on Thursday, 21 July.  

Notes to editors:  

• The Royal Borough of Greenwich has provided free holiday meals since 2018  

• There are currently around 11,000 children eligible for free school meals in Royal Greenwich  
• The National Food Strategy recommends the expansion of “eligibility for the Free School Meal scheme to include every child (up to the age of 16) from a household where a parent or guardian is in receipt of Universal Credit or equivalent benefits.” (Source)