Placards from an ‘Empty Plates’ protest outside The Senedd, December 2020. Picture via People’s Assembly Wales
“THE LANGUAGE OF PRIORITIES IS THE RELIGION OF SOCIALISM’ SAID ANEURIN BEVAN. SURELY THE RIGHT TO FOOD OF ALL CHILDREN SHOULD BE A PRIORITY IN WALES?” – AN OPEN LETTER TO WELSH LABOUR MSS
Dear Labour MS
This month Labour MS’s once again voted to deny over half of children living in poverty in Wales a hot meal at lunchtime.
How can it be right that a child growing up in poverty is less likely to get a free school meal in Wales than in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland?
According to research by Child Poverty Action Group, out of the four nations, Wales has the least generous provision of free school meals with the lowest percentage of children in poverty given eligibility for meals. We had hoped all parties in the Senedd would be united in seeking to speedily end this scandal.
Welsh parents also deserve to be told why all infant children aged 4-7 in England and Scotland are automatically eligible to free school meals, but in Wales are not.
We are surprised given the positive impact of the Universal Infant Schools Meals programme in England and Scotland that Labour has resisted extending this policy to the children of Wales.
Why? The latest study by the University of Essex shows benefits including better health, reduced levels of child obesity, improved educational attainment and less school absences. The policy is tremendously popular with families of all incomes with 85% of children from families previously not eligible for free school meals taking them up when offered as a universal option. A hot, nutritionally balanced free school meal normalises healthy eating from the very first day at school.
It is also unconvincing for Labour to continue to claim that calls to extend free school meal provision to reach more needy families are just a ‘Plaid Cymru stunt’. Feeding hungry children is bigger than party politics, and supported by a growing movement of Welsh civil society:
– In December, an online public meeting by People’s Assembly Wales on the case for expanding Welsh free school meal provision was watched by a few thousand people and addressed by representatives of National Education Union, British Association of Social Workers Cymru, Unite Community, The Campbell Network (BAME parents group), Henna Foundation, Bevan Foundation and Child Poverty Action Group. Labour councillors, trade union officials, teachers and parents were among those who joined a lively discussion afterwards.
– The same month, the Wales Anti-Poverty Coalition wrote to Mark Drakeford & Kirsty Williams urgently asking that free school meals be extended to more children in poverty. This coalition includes Oxfam Cymru, Wales Environment Link, Save the Children, Bevan Foundation, Stop Climate Chaos Cymru, Trussell Trust, Childrens Society, Child Poverty Action Group, Samaritans Cymru, People and Work, Chwarae Teg, Electoral Reform Society, Community Transport Association, Big Issue and Food Sense Wales.
– Child Poverty Action Group and Bevan Foundation have produced excellent research, including projected costings, of the case for extending free school meal provision to all families on universal credit (or equivalent benefit), all families with ‘no recourse to public funds’, all infants (reception, years 1 and 2) as the first step towards universal free school meals for all school age children.
– Welsh Labour Grassroots, an organisation some Labour MS’s have links with, in its policy papers for the Senedd election manifesto call for free school meals to be given to all families on universal credit (or equivalent benefit), and all families with ‘no recourse to public funds’.
– Labour-run RCT Council recently saw Labour, Plaid and independent councillors unite to pass a motion calling upon Welsh Government to give free school meals to far more children than present as the first step towards universal free school meals for all primary school children. Ceredigion CLP voted unanimously for a Welsh Universal Free School Meals Bill, we are hearing from members of CLPs and trade unions across Wales enthused by our argument that no child should go hungry in Wales in the 21st century.
– BBC Wales report growing discontent from backbench Labour Senedd Members who believe more children in Wales should get free school meals, and that Welsh Government was on the wrong side of the debate. We would suggest Labour backbenchers table a motion.
– Welsh Government’s own child poverty review announced in 2019, that it used the pandemic as an excuse to suppress, found that ‘expand eligibility for FSM to a wider range of children and young people’ was the one thing that would help the most
– In 2019 Trussell Trust food bank charity said Wales should match Northern Ireland where the household income threshold (after tax and before benefits are taken into account) to receive free school meals is £14,000. The same year a cross-party Senedd equality committee chaired by John Griffiths MS recommended Welsh Government explore raising the income threshold in September 2020 from £7,400 to £14,000.
Did you know despite austerity Labour Councils in Newham, Tower Hamlets, Southwark and Islington offer universal free school meals to all primary school children? Tower Hamlets and Newham are the poorest boroughs in London. Shouldn’t Wales, the poorest country in the UK, do the same?
In Scotland, both SNP and Conservatives are making election pledges to introduce universal free school meals for all primary school children, breakfasts and lunches, all year round.
‘The language of priorities is the religion of Socialism’ said Aneurin Bevan. Surely the right to food of all children should be a priority in Wales? Please let us know what you will be doing to ensure next month’s Welsh Government budget makes sure all children in poverty are fed.
Solidarity
Len Arthur, People’s Assembly Wales secretary
