Thanks to the Liberal Democrat Council Group on Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES) Council for supplying this.
Council notes:
- New government regulations, due to come into force on 1 April 2018, will restrict entitlement to free school meals for new recipients. Families receiving Universal Credit, earning more than £7,400 a year will no longer be eligible. These proposals will affect free school meals for children in year three and above. Transitional protections are proposed, so that no child currently receiving free school meals will have them taken away.
- The Children’s Society suggests that 3,900 children living in poverty in B&NES would miss out on a free school meal under the new regulations.
- B&NES Council is currently encouraging local Universal Credit recipients to sign up for free school meals and promoting the additional Pupil Premium funding that schools receive.
Council resolves:
- Council calls on the government to continue their current policy of providing free school meals to all children on Universal Credit.
- Council requests that the Leader of Council communicate this position to the Department for Education, Department for Work and Pensions, relevant Ministers and local MPs.
(NOTE: Data for councils across England)