Free meals are no benefit

From: Mark Littlewood, Director General, Institute of Economic Affairs.

FREE school meals provision is already a poorly targeted policy and extending it to all primary school children would be an unacceptable waste of taxpayers’ money. The scheme will end up subsidising middle class and affluent families who don’t need the help, while those who are struggling to make ends meet will feel very little benefit.

Most parents would prefer a tax cut providing them with more choice, rather than this crude and untargeted initiative. Additionally, a significant number of primary schools do not have the facilities to provide these meals in the first place.

For many years now there have been schemes to provide free school meals for disadvantaged children. Universal provision is unnecessary and paying for it by charging parents who elect to send their children to a private school VAT, while still paying their share of tax for state education, is unjustifiable.

Not least because a significant number of children at private schools receive financial support themselves through scholarships.

If politicians want to help disadvantaged children, they should focus on improving teaching and bringing down the cost of living via policies such as liberalising the planning system and deregulating the energy sector to lower fuel prices.

From: Coun Tim Mickleburgh (Lab), Boulevard Avenue, Grimsby.

I’M glad Labour are talking about putting VAT on public school fees, something I’ve long advocated, but not pleased to give free meals to primary school children. By all means let the poorest have their meals for nothing, but why should the public as a whole (including those who don’t have offspring) subsidise children who come from better off families?