Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
‘Schools are having to spend money on food, not education’
Kent’s poorest children must receive adequate food provision throughout the summer, a county councillor says. Thousands of youngsters from low-income UK families have become reliant on free school meals for their daily nutrition amid the Covid lockdown, but the government-led scheme has received major criticism. At least 24 Kent schools have been unable to obtain free school meal vouchers online during the pandemic, according to Kent County Council (KCC). KCC’S Liberal Democrat education spokesman, Cllr Trudy Dean, said: “Some schools are having to spend money on food rather than education and that should not happen.
“This is something that KCC needs to get a grip on as the local education authority.” KCC’S cabinet member for education, Cllr Richard Long (Con), says County Hall has been working with three catering suppliers to ensure daily meals are provided to vulnerable youngsters and children of key workers who have been attending school during lockdown.
At a full council meeting last week he said: “KCC has paid 100% of the cost of free school meals based on the numbers of meals served over the preceding three months.
“For those children who have not attended, schools have made a packed lunch available for collection or arranged for the use of food parcels or ‘hampers’, or vouchers.”
On Wednesday, Boris Johnson’s said the school meal scheme would be extended through the summer holidays. It followed a high-profile campaign by England footballer
Marcus Rashford. The striker wrote to MPS last week saying : “Political affiliations aside, can we not all agree that no child should be going to bed hungry?” KCC’S main opposition leader, Cllr Rob Bird (Lib Dem), told the chamber: “I suspect if some members of the government had showed the same level of compassion, commitment and common sense as footballers like Rashford then we would be in a much better place.”