Bid to feed hungry kids
Free meals for low income children
North Lanarkshire Council has approved proposals to provide free meals for children in low income households every day of the year.
The ‘Food 365’ programme would cover the 175 days of the year when pupils are not at school – during weekends and school holidays.
And it is estimated the starting annual cost for the programme would be £414,424.
A report went before councillors which revealed:
■ All pupils between P1 and S3 who are currently entitled to free school meals would be issued with a ‘365 club card’ allowing them to attend.
■ This covers 16,285 pupils, of which 6182 are entitled to free school meals due to their families receiving benefits, and 10,103 are ‘other’ P1− P3s.
■ A total of 23 hubs, roughly one per secondary school cluster would cover the local authority area, and they would be located in community facilities, either Culture NL/NL Leisure or third sector partners.
■ Estimates for food production are £1 for weekdays and £2 for weekends
■ The estimated annual cost for covering 365 days is £414,424, but a smaller programme, covering only weekday holidays, would be £117,902.
■ All figures include cost of let, food preparation, transport costs and catering staff costs, based on internal council estimates.
A pilot project will take place in Coatbridge during the 2018 spring break. Following an evaluation, the programme will then be extended to cover the whole of North Lanarkshire in time for the summer holidays.
Councillor Frank Mcnally, convener of education, said: “These proposals to tackle weekend and holiday hunger are the most ambitious in the country.
“Groups like the Trussell Trust are struggling to cope with demand from parents and research has suggested that pressure on food banks doubles during the holidays.
“North Lanarkshire has one of the highest concentrations of deprivation in the country and this is only going to be exacerbated by further welfare reforms.
“A good diet plays a key role in healthy growth and development, supporting learning and social skills and sets a positive habit to be continued later in life.
“Our plans will do much to promote healthy eating and address some of the symptoms of poverty for children who need it most.”
North Lanarkshire is one of the nine “challenge authorities” in Scotland with the highest levels of deprivation.
Nearly 21 per cent of children live in low income households – the Scottish average is 18.4 per cent.
Research commissioned by the Scottish Government also suggests North Lanarkshire claimants will lose between £64 million and £78m per year due to welfare reforms.
The Scottish Health Survey suggests North Lanarkshire’s diet−related health problems are often worse than the national average.
Obesity rates are higher (34 per cent versus 28 per cent) and daily food and vegetable consumption is lower.