Southport’s MP has been urged to reject Government plans to leave thousands of the poorest children in the town and across Sefton without a free school meal.

Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for Southport, Liz Savage, has written to Tory MP Damien Moore urging him to put the children before party loyalty next week and oppose a plan the Government had tried to sneak through without a vote.

The policy could mean over 5,000 children across Sefton, many growing up in poverty, will not be able to access a free school meal, say the Children’s Society.

The charity estimates it could affect over a million children across the country and may be the difference between them eating a hot meal that day and going hungry.

The plan will see an income threshold imposed on families receiving universal credit and the government is also planning to remove free childcare from those earning above the threshold.

For local families affected, the income threshold will create a cliff-edge, meaning some parents could be better off either reducing their hours, or not taking additional hours or pay rises. That’s because moving just above the income threshold would leave them worse off, which directly undermines the Government’s stated aim of Universal Credit - to make work pay.

The Government scheme to restrict free school meals and free childcare will be brought to the Commons next week, following an intervention from Labour to bring what it calls “these heartless and short sighted plans” to a binding vote.

Speaking about the scheme, Liz Savage said:

“The Tories are trying to dish up a particularly unpalatable plan to remove free school meals from up to 5,400 children in our area alone.

It seems milk snatching wasn’t enough, they now want to remove the whole plate.

“If Damien Moore wants to literally take hot dinners away from the children of his constituents, then frankly I’m not sure how much lower he can stoop.”

“The vote on Tuesday gives him an opportunity to show just whose side he is on; the poorest kids in his constituency, or this Tory government imposing heartless cuts on low income families.

He needs to consider his priorities on Tuesday and I’ve written to him asking that they are the children rather than career ambition.”


Full copy of Liz Savage’s letter to Damien Moore MP is below:

Dear Damien,

I am writing to ask you to put the needs of some of your poorest constituents ahead of the interests of the Conservative Party on Tuesday (13th March) by voting down your Government’s plans to impose a limit on families eligible for free school meals.

Families across Southport and Sefton need you to vote against these short sighted plans to ensure their children have a guaranteed meal whilst at school. For some of the poorest children that you represent, this is literally about whether they will go hungry or not.

The Children’s Society estimates that voting for this measure could affect over a million children across the country.

Imposing an income threshold on families currently receiving universal credit will not only potentially leave children without a hot meal, but the policy will create a cliff-edge, meaning some local parents could be better off either reducing their hours, or not taking additional hours or pay rises, because moving just above the income threshold would leave them worse off.

This directly undermines your Government’s stated aim of Universal Credit, to make work pay. As does the additional proposed measure that would leave thousands of parents on low incomes unable to access free childcare.

At a time when childcare costs are rising and wages are falling in real terms, this will put an incredible strain on local working families struggling to make ends meet.

I welcome that the Labour frontbench have been able to ensure these heartless plans will be brought to a binding vote. But now I ask you to play your part in protecting free school meals for the children in Southport and across Sefton that need them most, and the security of free childcare for parents able to work.

I realise that you have party loyalty and career ambition but surely this transcends such matters? It is simple human decency to prevent food being taken from children.

Given the public interest in this issue I am releasing this letter to the media.

I will look forward to your reply.

Yours sincerely,

Liz Savage.
Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Southport

Can't think of much lower than depriving kids from the poorest backgrounds of what might well be their one hot meal of the day...

He won't.