Council leader Georgia Gould announces the universal offer at last night’s meeting

EVERY primary school aged child will be entitled to a free school meal under plans announced at the Town Hall last night (Monday).

While the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan unveiled a temporary scheme last week, council leader Georgia Gould told a budget-setting meeting that Camden would pay to make the arrangement permanent.

The policy, which will see nobody means-tested for free food, is a direct response to the cost-of-living crisis which has left tens of thousands of people in the borough struggling to pay their bills and an increase use of food banks.

“We can never lose sight of the fact that this is not normal,” Cllr Gould said. “That we should not as a council be opening more warm banks and food banks – or talking to food banks about having to provide food because people can’t turn on their ovens.”

She added: “We’re here because of political choices: Government choices to freeze the Housing Benefit cap. choices to freeze the total benefits cap, a pernicious two child limit, choices to not uplift free school meals entitlement. Different choices like upping child benefit could lift millions of children out of poverty.”

Meanwhile, families with secondary school aged children who are struggling could get help with from new £1.3 million fund to tackle child hunger and the cost of uniforms.

Lib Dem councillor Linda Chung says Camden must not wait until September to bring in the new cost-of-living measures in the borough’s primary schools

The Liberal Democrats in Camden – the main opposition group since last year’s council elections –  had already a proposed a motion calling for the measure to be introduced. The party had come up with a universal free school meals offer when in charge of neighbouring Islington in 2008.

Councillor Linda Chung said: “The Liberal Democrats’ favourite subject is free school meals” – and added that it was a case of “deja vu” to hear Mr Khan’s announcements after they had proposed the same thing for Camden.

But she also told the full council meeting that the council should bring in the extra help now – and not wait for the next academic year to start in September.

“The crisis is upon us now. Can we please have free school meals as soon as possible starting from now?,” Cllr Chung said. “It should be not difficult to do and time is of the essence.”

She added: “We can have ambitions to do various things, but I think it’s disappointing that we can’t put this into action now, to bring free school meals in as soon as possible. September is far too long.”

But Labour finance chief Councillor Richard Olszewski said: “You don’t just do something tomorrow. Whilst we would like to do something immediately, we are nevertheless running an organisation of close to 20 or 30 schools, if not more. It doesn’t just happen by declaration. It requires organisation, commitment, resources, sourcing food, and making readjustments and so on. September is the best time to have all of that coming together so that it works well.”

He added: “We would love to do everything tomorrow, not even that – we’d have loved to have done it yesterday. But the important thing is that we do it properly.”