Berger’s breakfast pledge to children
METRO mayor candidate Luciana Berger visited Runcorn where she vowed to make sure no child in the city region goes hungry in the morning by creating a regionwide breakfast and school holiday club.
Labour MP Ms Berger met parents, staff and pupils at All Saints Church Of England Primary on Friday, where she launched her manifesto pledge as pupils tucked into meals provided by Magic Breakfast, which runs 30 such clubs across the city region.
She told the Weekly News that a nutritious breakfast to start the day has benefits for children including boosting their concentration in class and improving attendance.
The Wavertree MP said 72,100 children live in poverty across the Liverpool City Region and are at risk of starting the day hungry.
As well as breakfast clubs during term times she also wants holiday clubs during school breaks.
She said she intends to work with businesses to find the funding to pay for the initiative.
Magic Breakfast runs 30 breakfast clubs across the city region, with meals served at 8.15am each day at All Saints.
Ms Berger faces Walton MP Steve Rotheram and Liverpool City Council mayor Joe Anderson to become Liverpool City Region mayor, with the election due to take place on May 4, 2017.
The mayor will chair the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority rep- resenting Halton, Sefton, Liverpool, Knowsley, Wirral and St Helens.
Victory would mean she quits her role as an MP.
Asked about the reasons for the breakfast clubs pledge and how they would be paid for, she told the Weekly News: “Listening to children and teachers, this is making a massive difference to the school community.
“Ensuring every child has the best start to their day helps with concentration and also with attainment, punctuality and attendance.
“There are funds available to the metro mayor, but for this scheme I want to work with business across the region to raise the funds to pay for it.
“Magic Breakfast, who are here today, are a national charity that’s been providing breakfast for the last year and a half and they work to source sponsorship.
“I want to put young people at the heart of our region. They are our future and we need to invest in them.
“There are over 70,000 children living in poverty across the region.”
She added: “My vision for the region is one where we break down the barriers that exist within the region to make sure people can work, play and shop in its great areas.
“I want us to punch our weight on not just the national but the international stage, and for ours to be a happy, healthy and beautiful region.”
Quizzed on whether a city-based MP can represent the wider area, she said that two-thirds of the votes in the metro mayor election will come from outside Liverpool.
She said: “If I’m selected I won’t be an MP.
“I believe devolution for our region has to reach every corner.
“I have spent the last few months in every corner of the city region listening to members, and my manifesto is a result of listening to what people had to say.
“There’s a big job to be done to connect the 1.5m people.
“I’m really clear that the benefits of devolution need to be evenly spread across all the boroughs.
“It can’t be about one borough at the expense of the other five.”
Carmel McConnell, Magic Breakfast founder and chief executive, said: “Magic Breakfast was asked for support by 30 schools in the Liverpool City Region, and as a result now offers a healthy breakfast to around 1,500 children across the region every school day.
“I welcome the pledge by Luciana Berger to prioritise healthy Magic Breakfast support for local schools and also her plans to offer healthy school holiday support where it is most needed.
“Every child growing up in the region deserves the chance of a successful life.
“I hope other mayoral candidates follow suit.”