20,000 Lancashire children in poverty are missing out on free school meals

An estimated 20,000 school-age children in poverty in Lancashire are missing out on school meals, a new study shows.

Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) and Greater Manchester Poverty Action (GMPA), authors of the new analysis, said the qualifying criteria is too restrictive and doesn't take into account recent inflation price hikes. They are now urging local leaders to do what they can to ensure more kids get a free lunch but say the responsibility ultimately lies with the UK government to expand provision of free school meals across the country to tackle classroom hunger. 

This Leyland man is calling for all primary school-aged children to get free meals - after his own troubling experiences

What's the situation?

Infants are guaranteed a free school meal in England, but children in Year 3 and above must be in households on universal credit with an income below £7,400 per year (before benefits and after tax) to qualify. This threshold has not changed since 2018, despite increasing inflation.  It means 100,000 - or one in four - school-age children in poverty across the North West can’t claim free meals – at a time when one in three children in the region are below the poverty line.