Council’s £400k plan to serve up free school meals 365 days a year

A COUNCIL plans to offer free school meals 365 days a year to children from low income households to tackle ‘holiday hunger’.

North Lanarkshire Council proposes expanding its free meal entitlement to cover the 175 days of the year when pupils are not at school, during weekends and school holidays.

Community facilities could be used to help deliver the service, which would cost more than £400,000 a year.

The council said the Food 365 programme, which will be discussed at the education committee meeting on Tuesday, could help bring benefits for young people.

Education convener Frank McNally said: ‘These proposals to tackle weekend and holiday hunger are the most ambitious in the country. Research suggests 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.’

Nearly 21 per cent of children in North Lanarkshire live in lowincome households. It is one of the nine ‘challenge authorities’ with the highest levels of deprivation.

The council said national research showed almost a third of parents with incomes under £25,000 skip meals during the school holidays so their children can eat; and nearly two-thirds are not always able to afford food outside of term time.

This rises to half and threequarters respectively for parents with incomes under £15,000.

A survey by the National Union of Teachers in England found 80 per cent of teachers noted a rise in

‘Concentrations of desperation’

holiday hunger, with children returning from holidays suffering from poor nutrition.

If approved by the education committee, the scheme would be piloted in Coatbridge over the 2018 spring break.

If successful, it could then be rolled out across the area in time for the summer holidays. The programme, if approved, will be delivered in 23 hubs across the local authority area, usually in community facilities.

The pilot scheme will be open to 16,000 pupils.

The report due to be considered by councillors on Tuesday says the estimates for food production are £1 for weekdays and £2 for weekends.

It also says the estimated annual cost for covering 365 days is £414,424; but a smaller programme, covering only weekday holidays, would be £117,902.

The figures include cost of letting premises, food preparation, transport costs and catering staff costs, based on internal council estimates.

The report says: ‘The biggest unknown factor is demand for the programme. Council researchers have undertaken a review of previous holiday initiatives, including those run in North Lanarkshire. They have used this knowledge to provide estimates for costing purposes.’

Teresa Verrechia, headteacher of St Dominic’s Primary School in Airdrie, backed the initiative.

She told the Daily Record: ‘The importance of a healthy diet in the development of young children can’t be underestimated.

‘Pupils who eat a nutritious, balanced diet show far better levels of concentration and it helps their overall growth and development.

‘Lack of proper nutrition acts as a barrier to learning and can have a lasting impact on a child’s future opportunities.’