HUNDREDS STEP IN TO HELP FEED CHILDREN
Restaurants, cafes and shops offer their support while Newcastle Council says it will provide meals
NEWCASTLE City Council will pay for food for children who will miss out on free school meals during half-term, after the government refused to.
Civic centre leaders have confirmed they will provide packed lunches to any child who needs one during the halfterm break.
This week, Conservative MPs voted down a Labour motion to extend free school meal provision through the school holidays to help struggling families until next Easter – a campaign championed by England footballer Marcus Rashford.
Generous schools, businesses, sports clubs and other organisations across the North East have since stepped in with offers of food for hungry children.
Newcastle City Council now says it will also provide lunches for any Free School Meal-eligible child in the city that is still in need of support.
Families can register through to receive lunches for their children at various locations throughout the city during half-term at newcastle.gov. uk/welfare or by calling 0800 170 7001.
More than 13,000 children in Newcastle are on free school meals and at risk of going hungry during half-term, with fears that local lockdown restrictions in the North East will make it even harder for lowincome families.
Coun Nick Forbes, leader of Newcastle City Council, said: “It was utterly despicable for MPs to fail to recognise that families need support to feed their children during school holidays.
“More and more families are finding themselves in extreme financial difficulty as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, and free school meals are often the only source of a nutritious meal for many children. Our most vulnerable residents have been hung out to dry.
“There are more than 13,000 eligible children in our city who the Government have turned a blind eye to. We are fortunate to have such an incredible community spirit in our city that we can respond and do what we can to ensure no child is hungry this halfterm.
“Already, our great city has stepped up with businesses and other organisations reaching out with offers to help families who will be worrying how they are going to feed their children. I’m incredibly proud of our city which always comes together at times of need, just as it has throughout the pandemic.
“Our city’s wonderful voluntary organisations and businesses have stepped up where the Government failed to do so.”
The announcement came after the city’s Liberal Democrat opposition called on the authority to “put its money where the mouths are” and follow other cities including Liverpool and Birmingham in offering the emergency support – in a week when major pay rises for council executives were confirmed.
Leader of the opposition, Coun Nick Cott, said: “There is growing public outcry in support of Marcus Rashford’s campaign and Labour are understandably attacking North East Tory MPs who declined to vote for Labour’s call in Parliament yesterday because they didn’t want to support something with a Labour label on it.
“We think the same argument applies to Newcastle. We know that the council has this week confirmed that senior council managers will receive pay rises of up to £5,000. If it can find the money for big pay rises, it ought to put its money where the mouths are on child food poverty.”
Neighbouring North Tyneside Council had already approved plans in September to extend free school meals over half-term via a £1million Poverty Intervention Fund.
North Tyneside’s Deputy Mayor, Coun Bruce Pickard, said: “No child should be a victim of ‘holiday hunger’ and it is a shameful thing that we, as a comparatively wealthy country, should allow this to happen.
“We are committed to working with our schools and partner organisations to put a stop to this.”
More and more families are finding themselves in extreme financial difficulties as a result of Covid-19 Coun Nick Forbes