Local Lib Dems call for free school meals to be extended to all primary school children in Gillingham and Rainham

Medway Liberal Democrats are calling for free school meals to be extended to all primary school-aged children. Free school meals for children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 classes were introduced by the Lib Dems in Government in 2012. Now Lib Dems in our area are backing the National Education Union campaign to extend free school meals to all primary school children in Medway.

The 'No Child Left Behind campaign' website estimates that over 6168 children in Gillingham and Rainham are living in poverty, and that number is rising all the time. nochildleftbehind.org.uk/results

Stuart Bourne, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Rainham said, "Free school meals help struggling families and give parents peace of mind knowing their children are guaranteed a hot, healthy meal at school. Many of these children have to skip lunch completely or rely on cheap, unhealthy food that is damaging to their long-term health.

Free school meals for 4 to 7 year olds has been a great success since it was introduced nationwide by the Lib Dems. It's been shown that children's education suffers when they are hungry. Extending free school meals for all primary school children is the right thing to do. I know how important a healthy, nutritious school meal can be. With the cost of living rising, more and more children are threatened with food poverty, which can mean more malnutrition and more obesity as families turn to cheaper and less healthy options.

That means more children at risk of type 2 diabetes, poor mental health, and weakened immune systems. Childhood obesity also generates changes in brain chemistry that make weight loss in later life much more difficult, making the problems worse in the long term. The cost of living crisis is putting huge financial strain on households across the country, with damaging consequences for the nation's health now and in the future. A risk is that many more children, particularly in deprived areas, will miss out on nutritious food or simply go hungry.

Expanding the Free School Meals initiative is an intervention now to help many families in Medway, and could have long term benefits to future health and prosperity. Government can and must act to prevent the cost of living crisis becoming a health emergency. We are also calling on the Government to provide proper funding to schools providing free school meals that takes into account the huge rise in inflation."

Earlier this year the Government increased funding by just 7 pence per meal. This doesn't get anywhere near the rise in prices and in effect has led to a cut in funding for school meals this year. The Conservatives have spent the year trying to cut taxes for millionaires and giving bankers unlimited bonuses while millions of children are going hungry and schools are facing a funding crisis. We are calling for better funding and universal free school meals for all primary school children now.

ENDS

Notes for Editors:

for more information please go to link: nochildleftbehind.org.uk/results

About the No Child Left Behind Campaign

The No Child Left Behind campaign is fighting to break down the barriers poverty puts up around equal access to education.

As educators, we know first-hand how poverty limits the life chances of children and significantly affects their educational experience and outcomes in school.

Over eight in ten of respondents to a recent NEU survey told us that their students demonstrated fatigue (87%) and an inability to concentrate (81%) as a result of poverty. Almost three-quarters said their students were unable to complete homework and more than half said students had experienced hunger (57%) or ill health (55%).

In Britain, every child should have the chance to succeed. But today, 27% of our children - 3.9 million - are trapped in poverty. That means the equivalent of 8 pupils in every class of 30 have been let down. And it's only getting worse. The cost-of-living crisis is going to push more families into poverty as energy prices sky-rocket and food becomes more expensive.