UK: Government considering scrapping KS1 free school dinners..

[tinkerbelle93]

What are people's opinions on this? I've seen debate on Facebook with very mixed opinions for various reasons Personally, although I think it's obviously a parent's responsibility to be able to afford to feed their kids.. I just can't believe how much the new government have been cutting back with families. Millions of families, many in full-time work, will be at least £100 poorer per month with the tax credits cuts and now will find things like this being cut and costing them even more each month. I just don't know how a lot of people will cope since these are families already scrimping and scraping every last penny as it is with the cost of living. Opinions?

 

[Pearls18]

The biggest annoyance for me is the fact they stated when campaigning (and in their manifesto I believe?) that they wouldn't change it, I'm not naive I know politicians lie or say what they need to, but that's a pretty blatant disregard for what they were saying a few months earlier. My son has just started school so it would make a difference to us to have to pay £2.20 a day, especially when I pay £11.50 a day for out of school care so I can go to work, but so long as there are still free school dinners for those really in need (as we personally don't *need* it, it's just nice not to have to pay!) then I don't think it would be the worst thing as I'm not sure it was the most useful thing to be introduced anyway tbh, but it's the principal of it, and as you say doesn't look very good on them visually with how much they have cut from families, seems like maybe it could cost them more in the long run in terms of the public's perception, people still see Maggie Thatcher as the woman who took milk from the kids! If people make up a big enough fuss now though you never know, they might feel pressured to keep it.