Kids who have fallen into a nasty trap

Almost 10 per cent of children living in poverty in Greater Manchester can't get free school meals

- ETHAN DAVIES, Chris Gee, Nick Jackson, George Lythgoe, Declan Carey, Charlotte Hall

NEARLY one in 10 children in Greater Manchester have fallen into a nasty trap.

They live in poverty – but they can’t get free school meals, because government criteria are ‘too restrictive’, according to a new report from anti-poverty campaigners. The report, from GM Poverty Action (GMPA) and Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG), suggests that 46,000 children out of Greater Manchester’s 585,000 under-15s – eight per cent – fall into this category.

Government rules say free school meals can only be given to schoolchildren whose parents receive one or more of a range of benefits, including universal credit – but the family must earn less than £7,400 net annually to qualify. For its part, the Department for Education says the government has extended eligibility for free school meals since 2010.

A statement added: “We understand the pressures many households are under, which is why we have extended eligibility for free school meals to more groups of children than any other government over the past half a century - doubling the number of children receiving free school meals since 2010 from one-sixth to one third. ”

But the issue has prompted an emotional response from Greater Manchester’s political leadership.

Arooj Shah, Oldham’s leader, says it’s ‘personal’ to her. “It’s not just about numbers; it’s about human decency,” she added.

“We owe it to our children to provide them with the most fundamental of needs: nourishment. It’s disheartening that we’re even having this conversation in a society as advanced as ours.”