Refusal by MPs to back school meals branded ‘pathetic’ by former-council leader whilst protesters take to Diss

Protesters took to the streets in Diss this week as council officials and local foodbank workers had their say on the Government’s decision not to extend free school meals until 2021.

A majority of MPs rejected a motion last week to fund the provision of free meals during the school half-term and Christmas breaks, following a campaign spearheaded by professional footballer Marcus Rashford.

In response, a small demonstration took place in Mere Street on Wednesday, while Richard Carden, a former Liberal Democrat leader for South Norfolk Council, branded the decision “pathetic”.

“[Free school meals] are very important for a large number of families who, for various reasons, are not well off and they are a fundamental part of support for children," said the 78-year-old, from Chapel Hill, Denton.

“The fact that the Government is not prepared to extend the scheme until the school holidays is disgusting, especially considering the amount of money they have spent on the virus. It’s just pathetic.

“Thank goodness there are other avenues like foodbanks, but they should be supported properly.”

Under the proposals, 1.4 million disadvantaged children in England would have been given £15-a-week food vouchers during the breaks between terms until Easter.

But the motion, tabled by Labour Party members, was defeated by 322 votes to 261.

Reacting to the news, Rashford said on Twitter: “Put aside all the noise, the digs, the party politics and let’s focus on the reality: 1.5 million children have little to no access to food resources due to the two-child Universal Credit cap.

“Nobody is pointing fingers, I’m asking we work together to protect our most vulnerable children dealing with the devastating effects of the pandemic. This is nothing to do with politics.”

Despite the groundswell of support for free school meals to be extended, the leader of Norfolk County Council said any money to do so would have to come from central Government, adding that the £1 million emergency assistant grant the council was given earlier in the year had either been spent or earmarked to provide support over Christmas instead.

“Concerns have been raised locally and nationally about how we can support our residents and communities as the coronavirus pandemic continues,” said Andrew Proctor, leader of the Conservative-run council.

“Throughout it all, Norfolk County Council has been providing targeted support for vulnerable people and families, either directly or with our partners.

“This was before we received the £1.015 million allocated by the Government as an emergency assistance grant for food and essential supplies.

“We have spent half of that and the rest is earmarked to provide support during Christmas and the remainder of this year.

“The money was never intended to be used for free school meals.

“The Government provided separate funding for free school meal vouchers between March and mid-July.

“If the Government reintroduced that scheme and provided sufficient funding, we would, of course, support its delivery.”

Matthew Sade, project manager at Eye-based Waveney Foodbank, praised his colleagues after witnessing demand double since the beginning of lockdown.

He said: “Without the food bank, so many people would be going without.

“The pandemic is something that nobody could have predicted, but it’s not fair for children to have to go without food because of something their parents have no control over.

“Before lockdown, we were feeding 100 to 125 people a day – now it’s about 250.

“But donations are up, and our supporters are being fantastic and doing extra hours – it’s absolutely unbelievable.”

A Conservative graphic shared on Twitter stated the party was “supporting pupils in need”.

It says they have backed free school meals for 1.4 million children from low-income families, a £9 billion spending boost for the welfare system and £63 million to help councils.

Mr Sade, who is in his late 40s, expressed his disappointment at the MPs who decided not to extend the scheme during a vote in the commons last week.

“I’m not surprised but I’m disappointed,” he said. “MPs are having to make that decision, and they have to follow the party line, but I would have thought that, with their personal conscience and knowing how people are struggling, they may have not voted against it.”