Chair of APPG on School Food welcomes free school meals expansion
The extension of free school meals will mean children whose household earn over £7,400 but qualify for and claim universal credit, will become eligible for this additional layer of Government-funded support from September 2026.
Hodgson, MP for Washington and Gateshead South, commented: “There are few policies that are better for families who are living in poverty than free school meals. Providing more children than ever with a healthy, hot, nutritious meal will truly change lives, particularly in the most deprived areas such as the North East. I am so pleased that this Labour Government has commitment to such a transformative measure.
“As the founding and current chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on School Food since 2010, this is something we know will take pressure off parents and support children to be fuelled for the rest of the school day. Alongside this Government’s unprecedented universal primary breakfast club programme, we are going further and faster to support families in poverty.”