Free school dinners 'bombshell'

Imran Hussain, head of policy, rights and advocacy at Child Povery Action Group (CPAG), said: "The support of free school meals would have lifted 50,000 children out of poverty, according to the Treasury. "Suspending this support is the same as an income tax hike of £600 a year for a working poor family with two children. This is the equivalent of at least a 1% income tax hike per child for the families it was meant to help. Hussain said the team at CPAG are shocked and that the decision should be reviewed: "We were told by the Work and Pensions Secretary it is wrong that families trying to move off benefits face effective tax rates up to 95 per%, so we are stunned the Government is shelving plans to address this problem. It is completely at odds with the Coalition's commitment to end child poverty by 2020. "Most families living below the poverty line have jobs and this measure would have helped guarantee work makes them better off. It would have been a very valuable work incentive for those on benefits seeking jobs. "This decision must be urgently reviewed and securing the funds to reinstate the extension must be a top priority for the Chief Secretary to the Treasury in the spending review." Judy Hargadon, The School Food Trust's chief executive, has also given her response to the plans: "Free school meals are crucial in helping families with low incomes to make sure their children get a well-balanced meal during the school day and this is particularly important at a time when household budgets are so tight. It's up to everyone involved with school food to make sure that all families entitled to free school meals are claiming them."