Medway Labour and Co-operative leader, Vince Maple, has today written to the Leader of the Council Alan Jarrett and Education and Schools Portfolio Holder Martin Potter, to urge the council to announce that it will fund Free School Meals for Medway’s children at Christmas and during school breaks in spring 2021.

Last week, following the news that two of Medway’s Conservative MPs, Kelly Tolhurst and Rehman Chishti, voted against Free School Meals for children outside of term-time, the Labour Group wrote to the council urging intervention for the 1 in 5 children in Medway in receipt of Free School Meals.

It was subsequently announced that Citizens Advice Medway, in partnership with the council, would bridge the gap in national funding and provide meals for eligible children over the October half term. Whilst Councillors were disappointed to see the voluntary sector forced to step in and support families that national government had dismissed, the hard work of CAB Medway is a brilliant reflection of our community spirit.

In today’s letter to Council Leader Alan Jarrett, Cllr Maple expressed his support for the partnership covering October half-term, and urged the Council, in the absence of a change of heart from the Government, to  commit to provide food for children in receipt of Free School Meals during the Christmas break, Easter 2021 and the spring half-term break.

You can read the full letter below.