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Original poster

Free school meals and summer holidays

346 replies

McNewPants2013 · 19/07/2013 20:51

I was thinking about this today.

I will have an extra £10 per week dude to not paying for school meals, but if people are entitled to FSM I can see many families struggling to provide these extra meals at home.

Do you think that school canteens should open or the parents get extra money to cover the shortfall.

OP posts:
Worriedmind · 20/07/2013 11:11

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

tethersend · 20/07/2013 11:11

"The simple way of avoiding a hungry child is not to have them unless you can afford them. why should tax payers do so, why aren't these people going to their parents/grandparents, brothers or sisters for help if they can't feed their kids for the 6 weeks?"

By this logic, the state should not intervene nor use taxpayers money to protect vulnerable children- or are you specifically objecting to using taxpayers' money to feed vulnerable children? Is taking them into care ok?

Pobblewhohasnotoes · 20/07/2013 11:15

The simple way of avoiding a hungry child is not to have them unless you can afford them. why should tax payers do so, why aren't these people going to their parents/grandparents, brothers or sisters for help if they can't feed their kids for the 6 weeks?

Oh right, because peoples circumstances don't change (see my previous post for example). What an idiotic thing to say.

cheerfulweather · 20/07/2013 11:21

I tried to report Saucyjack's outburst too, and suspect I wasn't the only one. Colourful language doesn't begin to describe it, and I'm not easily shocked.

Agree those figures must be out of date, £200 sounds more like the sum given to much larger families, too (have been watching those Nick and Margaret benefit programmes on the BBC Smile)

ThisReallyIsNotSPNopeNotAtAll · 20/07/2013 11:22

£200 a week? If only. I would be rolling in it then!

I'm on IS after the ex walked out. My bills are also a lot more than £30. I had to rely on crisis loans when he first left and I am now paying them back at £25 a week as that's how much I have to pay. That means £50 off my IS. I only get IS every 2 week.

2 week a month I have to make £75 last by covering electric, odd bill and food for me and a toddler. Its not a lot at all. I also pay rent arrears which appeared while waiting for HB to sort out helping me when the ex walked out.

My son will start reception next year and I'm adamant I will be working by then but after speaking to the people at the job centre I wont be much better off so its likely I will need FSM for my son. I'm determined to get off benefits as its a shit lifestyle.

I owe money left, right and centre to family as I have had to borrow to pay electric. Living on benefits isn't fun and I dont know why anyone thinks people on them purposely choose to be or think we cant budget.

How can you budget something you don't have?! I live day to day

Bogeyface · 20/07/2013 11:27

£200 a week for 1 adult and 2 children?! I had 5 children under 18 when I had to claim (thanks to redundancy, not a feckless benefit breeder thank you!) and we barely got that much and that included 2 adults! Oh and no housing benefit thanks to having a mortgage.

LEMisdisappointed · 20/07/2013 11:30

You see, saucy - you are showing your utter ignorance in your reply to my post. Where did i blame Cameron? I am simply stating that if i were responsible for this country, that statistic would prevent me from sleeping at night.

Would you suggest we return to the days of the work house then saucy? While we are at it we could re-introduce the debtors prison too!

Why don't you just admit to being a bit of an arse who is posting simply to be controversial because you blatantly haven't really thought your post threough have you?

ImNotBloody14 · 20/07/2013 11:30

Sp i am right there with you! Its shit.

SaucyJack · 20/07/2013 11:33

Yes, £200. The flat rate figures for IS and child benefit are for anybody to find online, and tax credits will be on entitled.to, so don't try to pretend I'm lying.

£100 child tax credits, £70 income support, £30 child benefit. These were the standard rates, and I only came off benefits within the past year.

SaucyJack · 20/07/2013 11:37

I'm not being an arse LEM. I'm obviously just spoiling people's bleeding heart rhetoric by posting the boring old facts from someone who's actually been there, done that and got the t shirt.

cheerfulweather · 20/07/2013 11:38

But still out of date. With the new cuts, people will be needing to make up housing costs with their income, which in some cases will run into the 100s, apparently.

tethersend · 20/07/2013 11:38

The HB cap came in a couple of weeks ago IIRC, although it has been in place in a number of areas for quite some time.

Even last year's figures are out of date.

ThisReallyIsNotSPNopeNotAtAll · 20/07/2013 11:43

This is what I currently get

£60 Tax credits
£20.30 Child Benefit.

^^that's every week.

Every second Wednesday I get £80/90 due to paying back crisis loans.

I'm obviously rolling in it. Well I would be should I not have bills and we had to eat and he had to be clothed.

ThisReallyIsNotSPNopeNotAtAll · 20/07/2013 11:43

And we didn't have to eat*

SaucyJack · 20/07/2013 11:44

We wouldn't be subjected to hb caps/lha rates because we're in a council flat. I will concede that would make a difference;.

Wbdn28 · 20/07/2013 11:45

Perhaps there are fewer school-related expenses in the holidays?

LEMisdisappointed · 20/07/2013 11:49

Wbdn28? i don't think so!

PresidentServalan · 20/07/2013 11:50

The only people who seem to be using words like scrounger are the ones arguing in favour of extra assistance. I know that it is said that everyone is one job loss away from benefits and of course that is true. But there are also those who are irresponsible and cba to do what is right for their children. Throwing money at it will not help. I do feel for people who are in a crap situation through no fault of there own but what about the minority who are neglectful or just carry on adding to their family knowing that the country will bail them out?

PresidentServalan · 20/07/2013 11:52

And the govt is looking at giving more children school meals - what would you suggest we do about it? Do you all want to pay more tax and be worse off?

escape · 20/07/2013 11:53

It's completely feasible to feed families nutritious square meals every day whilst living off the state - it is
What you buy,and cook and where from etc is much less of a choice, granted, but it can be done.
It's impossible to pay for treats, new this , new that, granted - but it is NOT impossible to feed and clothe your kids in items that are appropriate and fit.
Been there , done that too.

ImNotBloody14 · 20/07/2013 11:53

There are more in the holidays wbdn- unless your kids dont grow iou have yo replace uniforms. Our school jumpers are £18!! Ds1 wont be getting anything new this year but ds2 is starting p1 so it's unavoidable and he's very small so ds1's stuff doesnt fit.

escape · 20/07/2013 11:54

This may be contentious - but I also think people who have lived beyond their means on credit for non essentials can be classed as neglectful too.

PresidentServalan · 20/07/2013 11:55

And if you are happy to help them out, donate to food banks or get directly involved to help. What I am saying is that most parents are doing a fab job regardless of financial circumstances - if they don't, do we just give them loads more money

Arisbottle · 20/07/2013 11:57

I would pay more tax to ensure children had a decent meal , surely most middle or higher rate taxpayers would

ImNotBloody14 · 20/07/2013 11:57

Loads more money? Hmm

  1. school meals dont cost the govt £2.20 each it isnt loads

  2. it isnt giving te parents anything- its giving the children food. No money chamges hands

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