To think school dinners should not be cut for low earners

[OldHag1]

I worry that some children will loose their only decent/hot meal.

action.labour.org.uk/page/s/protect-free-school-meal

If the government can't subsidise school meals for our poorest children (sometimes their only proper meal of the day) maybe MPs shouldn't get subsidies for food and alcohol in addition to their significant pay rise?

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/208776

I have copied from petitions as there didn’t seem to be any traffic....

They ARENT being cut - Corbyn was roundly trounced in the HOC yesterday for lying

Such a shame when we cant feed children in need but we can provide methadone to drug addicts

www.conservatives.com/freeschoolmeals

Our policy on free school lunches:

Free school lunches will remain for those who need them. We are not scrapping free school lunches – we are means testing them to make sure that free lunches go to those children whose parents can't afford it.

The changes will only affect better off parents and we will use that money for our schools instead. We don’t think it is right to spend precious resources on subsidising school meals for better off parents. So instead we will give that money to headteachers, to spend on pupils’ education instead.

The most disadvantaged children will now get two free school meals a day rather than one. We will make sure all those who need it most still get free lunches – and will offer a free school breakfast to every child in every year of primary school. So the most disadvantaged children will now get two free school meals a day rather than one.

Courtesy of Guido Fawkes:

"Awkwardly for Labour, fact checking organisations have probed that one million claim and found it wanting. A Channel 4 investigation found:

“No one who is currently eligible for free school meals under Universal Credit will lose their entitlement. In fact, under Universal Credit, 50,000 more children will receive school meals by 2022 than would have done under the previous benefits system.

This is not a case of the government taking free school meals from a million children who are currently receiving them: it’s about comparing two future, hypothetical scenarios. Both of them are more generous than the old benefits system.”

They are being cut. From April 1, children in Year 3 and above on Universal Credit in England will not normally be eligible for FSM if their parents earn more than £7,400. These children currently DO receive school meals. Not only will the kids lose a dinner schools in poorer areas will lose the extra money they receive for having a high rate of kids in receipt of FSM. It will massively disadvantage children in poor areas.

They aren't being cut for poor kids. You know better to listen to the shite that corbyn thinks you're too thick to question and not check he wasn't lying through his teeth for the publicity right?

Well if you didn't you do now.

I think it's shameful that working people should earn so little that they can't feed their kids. Maybe that needs sorting?

Cross posted that’s interesting.
Does everyone earning over 7.5k currently entitled to school meals really not claim them now though as the facts above suggest?

They are not being cut for anyone on UC who is currently receiving them. They will not be available for people who move onto UC and earn over £7400 (this is earned income so benefits do not count towards this figure).

Could you please clarify who exactly are losing free school meals?

This sort of shit goes viral all over my newsfeed every so often. I think the last one was "Tories vote that animals don't have feelings".

Its all sensationalist, untrue nonsense and I bemoan that no one ever checks their bloody facts any more!!

What's really irritating is that the government don't actually pay the full cost of a school meal; the caterer charges the school somewhere in the region of between £2-3 per meal, but the government fund at a set lower level so schools have to allocate money from the budget to cover the shortfall. It's a bit of a farce, and actually, the whole lot of money should be handed to the schools for them to handle (apart form being understaffed as funding remains static but costs like wages are rising).

gamerwidow
That is not correct - if you already in receipt of free school meals on UC then you keep them until you finish that phase of education i.e. until you finish primary or secondary school or until March 2022 irrespective of your income.

The income cap only relates to those not yet on UC and/or not currently in receipt of free school meals.

As Universal Credit was rolled out they relaxed the entitlements so everybody on UC got free meals to ensure no children were left hungry if teething problems with UC meant entitlements were rolled out incorrectly. That grace period has ended. Some of the free meals were only ever a temporary measure.

chazs actually now I’ve read the fact check article which is broadly different from what’s been reported in the media I can see that Labour haven’t technically lied about the numbers but they have taken liberties with the interpretation !

Yep saviors, and the same people complain Torres just unquestionably believe everything they read in the Daily Mail.

I have no problem people hammering the Government of the day of whatever political hue if they do things that people don't agree with. But please can we move away from the fake news and soundbites (on both sides) and criticise them for what they have actually done or are planning to do not the usual Tories eat babies v Jeremy Corbyn is the bastard love child of Karl Marx (I guess it explains the beard!)

Labour in "can't count" shocker by the sound of it....

Agree- I am grateful to those who pointed out my misunderstanding I should know better than to get my news from the mirror!

gamerwidow
Totally understand why it wasn't clear. The story has been presented from a particular angle by different people to create the effect they want.

People make these ridiculous memes (both left and right) knowing that idiot will pick them up and run with them. Who was it that said it was far easier to get people to believe lies rather than facts?

'fact check' on FB is a good site to look at - they pick the bones out of anything.

'Simple Politics' is another good one

Which is partly why I have so little respect for any party these days. Things like the NHS and school dinners for children from less well-off backgrounds should not be not vote grabbing political footballs