Cash handouts for poor families under Labour's latest education plan
Labour has unveiled plans to give poor families a cash handout so they can buy food for their kids during school holidays.
Sir Keir Starmer's party has urged ministers to "trust parents with the money for free school meals" by setting up cash transfers into their accounts.
Parents would be paid £2.30 per meal in a move Labour says would remove the need for a voucher system and give them the freedom to spend the cash where they want.
According to government figures 40,593 pupils in the West Midlands were eligible for free school meals in the region during the first lockdown, although Labour estimates the figure may have risen to almost 70,000 by March this year.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said the Government was providing local councils with cash to support disadvantaged families during the holidays, and vowed to "continue to build on" the holiday activities and food programme it announced last year.
Shadow Education Secretary Kate Green MP was due to launch Labour's latest education plan during a visit to a primary school in Wolverhampton on Wednesday.
She called on ministers to extend free school meals during the upcoming half-term break and summer holiday, and warned that children could go hungry as a result of the Conservatives current scheme only running for "half the summer holiday".
The Stretford and Urmston MP said: "The Conservatives have failed to support families in the West Midlands throughout this pandemic and are now reliant on local councils to plug gaps in free school meals support throughout the holidays.
"Feeding children is not a half-time activity. Labour is calling on the Conservatives to trust parents with the money for free school meals so they can buy the food and supplies their children need throughout the whole of the holidays."
South Staffordshire MP Mr Williamson told the Express & Star: "We've given local authorities across the Black Country and Staffordshire ring-fenced money to help families who are most disadvantaged to be able to manage during this really difficult time.
"On top of that, with the holiday activity and food programme – which we want to continue to build on – we're actually giving not just food and support, but also a programme of activities for children to get involved in during the holidays.
"All of these measures go towards actually supporting families and children. We've also put in place extensive measures to support people throughout the pandemic, including with the furlough scheme and support through Universal Credit."
The issue of free school meals during holidays came to the fore last year on the back of a campaign by footballer Marcus Rashford.
A Government U-turn resulted in the provision running through the summer, followed by the launch of the holiday scheme as well as a £170m Covid grant scheme to support vulnerable families over the winter.
In the West Midlands 23 per cent of youngsters were eligible for free school meals at the start of the 2020-21 academic year.
