MP wants hot meals guarantee for poor children

MP HELEN Jones is to urge Warrington Borough Council to voluntarily implement measures which would guarantee a hot meal every day to hundreds of poor children.
The Warrington North MP is one of the sponsors of a Ten Minute Rule Bill – the Free School Meals (Automatic Registration of Eligible Children) Bill.
This would require all local authorities to identify and then automatically register children from families on low incomes and who are in receipt of qualifying benefits, for free school meals.
This would entitle their school to additional Pupil Premium to support their education,  although parents would be able to opt out.
Ms Jones said: “A handful of pioneering local authorities have implemented this policy already.
“By using their Housing Benefit data proactively to register those children who are eligible,  but not signed up to receive free school meals they have managed to guarantee a hot meal each day to hundreds more poor children and,  in the process,  secure hundreds of thousands of pounds in additional funding towards their education.
“I will be writing to the borough council to ask if they will consider implementing these measures voluntarily.”