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The government will “learn” from a summer vacation club program as it seeks to make its way through the line of free school meals, a minister told Sky News.
A new campaign led by the English footballer Marcus rashford it has lobbied the government for the provision of school meals during the holidays for the children of families in distress.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has committed government action to ensure that “no children” go hungry this winter, but still refuse to resuscitate a meal voucher scheme that ministers were forced to implement in the summer under enormous public pressure.
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Instead, this week’s mid-quarter holiday has seen local councils and organizations, as well as pubs, restaurants and cafes, offer free meals to struggling families.
Business Minister Nadhim Zahawi pointed to a separate £ 9 million holiday food and activities program, which was piloted across 17 municipalities over the summer, as a possible future way to address concerns about how to feed children during school holidays.
He told Sky News’ Kay Burley: “These are incredibly important drivers, and we will see how we can learn from them and how we can take advantage of this.”
“The best way to do it, as the prime minister rightly pointed out, is through local government, 17 local authorities participated in that pilot and, of course, through the real welfare system, the Universal Credit system, providing that extra help for those families.. “
The Daily Telegraph reported Tuesday that the government was considering proposals to expand the holiday clubs so that children can receive at least one free meal per day outside of school hours.
The idea for the holiday clubs is said to be the brainchild of government food czar Henry Dimbleby, co-founder of the Leon restaurant group, who revealed that he had been pressuring ministers to act.
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Dimbleby, the independent head of national food strategy, told BBC Radio 4’s Today show that he had not been “late in submitting ideas” to the Treasury, the Department of Education and Number 10 on “how they could quickly implement this Christmas.” .
But he added: “The dark center of government is invisible to me and I have no idea exactly what they are working on as we speak.”
Dimbleby said “in-kind support” through vacation clubs, providing food and education, has been shown to have a better impact than putting the same “small amount of money” in Universal Credit.
He also criticized the government’s current efforts to help families struggling during the current coronavirus crisis.
“This problem is real, it goes without saying that it is serious, it is immediate and it will get worse as employment worsens and the government is not doing enough,” Dimbleby added.
“One in seven families already report that they cannot afford enough food.”
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Meanwhile, there are reports of a Whitehall blame game between the Treasury and the Department of Education over the free school meal line.
It follows allegations that Chancellor Rishi Sunak blocked proposals to fund free meals, although Treasury sources said Education Secretary Gavin Williamson made no such proposal.
Zahawi dismissed reports of a breakup, telling Sky News: “There is an absolute link between the chancellor and the education secretary and the prime minister and this government to make sure we direct the funds to the families in need.”
