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LACA (the Local Authority Caterers Association) has announced it shares the concerns raised in a report entitled ‘Fair and Square’ by the Children’s Society which has launched yesterday (Thursday 19th April).

The report examines the potential impact of the Government’s proposed reforms to the welfare entitlement thresholds of families under the new Universal Credit System currently envisaged.

According to the analysis conducted by the Children’s Society, approximately 120,000 poorer families, equating to more than 350,000 children, are likely to lose their eligibility for free school meals, worth £367 a year, unless they drop their earnings to below the threshold of £7,500 a year.

This would mean parents having to cut the number of hours worked or take a pay cut in order to keep their benefits.

Many of those affected by this threshold are also those who work within the school meals service as kitchen managers and support staff.

The proposed universal credit system comes into force in October 2013. At present the welfare system compensates families with cash from the tax credit system.

The report argues that as, under the present situation, more than half of the 1.2 million children living in poverty are currently missing out on free school meals with another 700,000 not entitled to free school meals at all, reform is urgently needed by the Government.

But it concludes that universal credit as currently envisaged appears to be a step backwards.

Commenting on the findings, LACA national chair Lynda Mitchell says: “LACA is concerned about the potential negative impact that the possible entitlement changes being considered for the new Universal Credit System might have on families and the possibility of a significant number of them losing their Free School Meal entitlement.

“If the calculations by the Children’s Society are correct then we will be denying the most vulnerable children in society the opportunity of a hot nutritious school lunch which, for the majority, is their only meal of the day.

“Free school meals were first introduced in this country as a welfare service and in a period of budget cuts and economy measures, poverty levels are growing and that service is as important now as it has ever been in the past.

“With obesity levels also still rising, children missing out on a healthy, balanced free school meal are at even more risk of being driven towards fatty snacks and sweets.

“This is surely counter-productive to all of the efforts being made to encourage children to eat better for their future wellbeing and to reduce the cost to the NHS of diet related diseases.

“With studies having shown that children who eat better, do better at school, the provision of free school meals for the children who would fall into this group and who are nutritionally at risk, is also important as part of the measures being taken to close the educational attainment gap”.

“A reform of welfare entitlement may well be called for and getting more people into work a sensible way forward in order to reduce the reliance on benefits and ultimately, poverty levels.

“However, it should not be children and young people who lose out and suffer as a result of a vendetta on benefit claimants.  Nor should the creation of a new credit system put administrative simplicity before people’s welfare.

“LACA joins the Children’s Society in calling on the Government to ensure that free school meals is extended to all families who will be in receipt of universal credit”.