Meal price hike 'taking food out' of kids' mouths

A price rise in school meals will take food "out of children's mouths", a food bank founder says.

South Tyneside Council has approved cutting back its subsidy of school meals to 80p per day, increasing the price of a meal from £3 to £3.50 per day.

The local authority said the poorest families will not be affected, with 46% of children in the borough eligible for free school meals. However, there is concern that families earning just above benefit thresholds will be plunged into poverty.

Angie Comerford, co-founder of Hebburn Helps, said: "There's no provision to help out with people on a low income, we see that in the food bank every day."

She said families were "desperate" and she expected the knock-on effect from the price rise would be wide-ranging.

"Once again, it's the children and the families who are going to be suffering again.

"When the money is being taken off low-income families, it's going to have an impact on the third sector," Comerford said.

"Because we are the guys helping out and taking the flak for things like this."

Jo Benham-Brown, deputy CEO of youth homelessness charity Key Community in South Shields, said an increase from £836 to £1,330 per year for an average two-person family was "unsustainable".

"For a parent on a low or middle income, finding that extra £500 a year post-tax is beyond incredibly difficult.

"They're already juggling increased housing, mortgage costs and energy, not to mention general food inflation."

Benham-Brown added families would be more likely to switch to cheaper packed lunches which may not be as nutritionally balanced as school dinners, which would compound existing health inequalities in the borough.

Councillor Susan Sybenga, the council's lead member for finance and resources, said the local authority must be realistic about its financial position.

"We want to strike a fair balance between keeping services affordable and accessible and making sure the council can continue to provide them on a sustainable footing," she said.

Other changes passed in the annual review include increasing the cost of school milk from £14 to £16 per term, and increases to waste service collection costs.

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