MP leads call for free school meals

PARENTS are backing a campaign to give free school dinners to all primary pupils in the Potteries.

The crusade was launched yesterday by Stoke-on-Trent South's Labour MP Rob Flello, who hopes to get at least 2,000 families to sign petition postcards.

It would cost an extra £6 million a year to provide free meals to all 21,000 schoolchildren in Stoke-on-Trent aged between three and 11.

Just 5,289 youngsters from low-income families currently qualify for free dinners.

But council officials have warned that, without more investment from Mr Flello's own Labour Government, helping to pay for the meals would mean diverting cash away from other essential services.

The MP claims the knock-on benefits for hard-pressed working families, who currently fork out £1.75 for a primary school dinner, would make it worthwhile. He said: "There is also evidence that young people who get school meals do better educationally and socially."

Mr Flello began his campaign outside the gates of Gladstone Primary School, in Adderley Green, near Longton, yesterday. Around 80 parents pledged their support.

Among them was mature student Sarah Randle, from Bentilee, who has three children, aged eight, seven, and two-and-a-half.

She said: "I'm at uni at the moment, so my children are eligible for free school meals.

"It's especially difficult if you've got more than one child. Next year, I'll have three children at school – it's going to cost almost £6 a day."

Pamela Hope, aged 48, from Meir Hay, has a four-year-old granddaughter, Casey, at Gladstone.

She said: "My daughter works and doesn't qualify for free school meals. But she can't afford them, so her father pays."

The Government will start piloting free school dinners for all primary age children in Durham and the London borough of Newham, from this September.

A third authority, Wolverhampton, will also be extending its free school meals criteria.

But Stoke-on-Trent was ruled out of applying for the pilot because 11,900 pupils – 56 per cent of its primary age children – already have school meals.

Mr Flello wants the Government to extend the pilot to Stoke-on-Trent, or to put the city first in line if it is rolled out nationally.

Failing that, he believes the city council should foot the bill.

Ian Mitchell, the council's cabinet member for children and young people's services, said he would welcome funding to provide free meals.

"We were very disappointed that our good record in encouraging children to take a school meal meant we were ineligible to take part in the pilot scheme," he added.

But he stressed the council would struggle to fund the meals itself, saying: "It would impact on existing tightly managed budgets which fund schools, early years and special educational needs."

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Sentinel Comment: Free meals don't add up... We confess we find it odd to see a loyalist Labour MP starting this campaign in such a public fashion. Who has been in charge for 12 years now? Read more