Bishop Auckland MP, Sam Rushworth, has backed calls for free school meals to tackle child poverty and improve lives, writes Local Democracy Reporter, Bill Edgar.
The Government has been urged to ensure all eligible children are automatically enrolled for free school meals by changing the current rules.
Mr Rushworth warned of a “malnutrition crisis” and the worsening health issues among children today as he backed a Bill urging Labour to improve access to free meals.
He said: “I am grateful for the opportunity that the Bill provides to put on record the importance of discussing the scourge of child poverty in our country, particularly as it relates to children’s nutrition.”
The Labour MP told a House of Commons debate he has spoken to schools carrying a heavy level of debt because they are providing meals for hungry children.
Durham County Council expanded its free school meals enrolment scheme in October 2024 to include a further 2,000 County Durham pupils after data revealed thousands entitled to the meals were not registered. Entitlement to free school meals has been shown to benefit a family by up to £400 per year for each child in receipt.
Mr Rushworth added: “Probably the most startling statistic from my county of Durham, which really shows what austerity has done to our children over the last decade and a half, is the 250 per cent increase in the number of children in the care system. The cost of that for the local taxpayer is immense, as is the human and social cost for those children.
“But somewhere between being in the care system and being a happy child with a healthy life are many children who live in conditions of neglect. That is why it is so important that the state and schools sometimes do the work to provide what children are not getting in the home.”
Free breakfast clubs and at least 30 minutes of childcare will be provided in 12 County Durham schools as part of a new scheme, which is expected to run from April before a national rollout.
The MP added that the new initiative will ensure children are well-fed and help families with the cost of living.