Anti-poverty campaigners are putting pressure on Welsh Labour and Tory MS’s to back a motion in the Senedd this week that they say would ensure all children in poverty in Wales get a free school meal.
People’s Assembly Wales, who are co-ordinating the campaign alongside anti-poverty groups and trade unions, say that at the moment 70,000 children in Wales – over half the number of children in poverty – are currently being denied free school meals due to Welsh Government’s criteria for eligibility.
Following an online rally and petition launch last week highlighting the issue, Plaid Cymru MS for Arfon, Sian Gwenllian, will put down a motion demanding that Welsh government change the current rules so more children would be able to access free school meals or vouchers. An ‘Empty Plates’ protest will be held outside the Senedd on the same day at 1pm to highlight the plight of children in food poverty.
According to research by the Child Poverty Action Group, Wales falls behind England, Scotland and Northern Ireland for providing meals to poorer pupils and has the highest percentage of children in poverty excluded from provision of free school meals anywhere in Britain.
England and Scotland have infant universal free school meals, with all pupils in reception, years 1 and 2 eligible, whereas Wales doesn’t. Here, children living in households on income-related benefits (such as universal credit) are eligible for free school meals, as long as their annual household income does not exceed £7,400 after tax, not including welfare payments. In Northern Ireland the cap is set at £14,000 a year.
But campaigners say no child in Wales should go without a meal if they cannot afford it, or because of the immigration status of their parents. They are now urging people to write to their MS asking them to support the Senedd motion on Wednesday, which instructs Welsh Government to:
‘Immediately amend the eligibility criteria for free school meals so that any child in any family receiving universal credit or equivalent benefit and any child in a family with no recourse to public funds is eligible, as the first step towards implementing universal provision of nutritious free school meals for all school-aged children in Wales.’
The vote puts pressure on Welsh Labour as the party has sought to highlight the difference between their government in Wales and the Tory administration in Westminster, who were attacked in the autumn over their failure to extend meal provision in school holiday. A high profile campaign led by the footballer Marcus Rashford forced Boris Johnson’s government into a U-turn.
Separately, a coalition of 15 social justice organisations including Oxfam Cymru and Save the Children have written to Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford & Education Minister Kirsty Williams to extend free school meal provision in Wales as pressure mounts on the administration.
Allison Hulmes, National Director of British Association of Social Workers (BASW) Cymru, one of the groups backing the motion, said that social workers see the effects of poverty on vulnerable children and families. “Social work is a profession rooted not only in compassion, but in human rights and a commitment to social justice,” she said. “This is why we must campaign in support of free school meals for all children in Wales.”
Adam Johannes from People’s Assembly Wales, who campaign against austerity, cuts and privatisation said, “this radical anti-poverty and pro-dietary health measure works in Finland, Sweden & Estonia. We think it can work in Wales.”
Currently Plaid Cymru have 12 members of the Senedd, so would need a significant number of Labour votes or a combination of Labour and Tory MSs to come on board in order to reach a majority out of the 60 MSs in the Welsh Parliament.
The vote will take place on Wednesday 16th December and can be seen live on Senedd TV
