WYRE Forest Labour claim around 800 children in the district could lose out on free school meals in the next five years as a result of Government changes.

On Tuesday (March 13), the Government fought off a Labour motion by Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner to block reforms to the Universal Credit system.

Universal Credit is currently being rolled out across the country and the Government agreed to allow anyone on the system to claim free school meals.

But, the Government is now moving to a means-tested format, over a transitional period, which means families earning more than £7,400 from paid work – excluding benefits – will no longer be entitled to claim free school meals.

Stephen Brown, of Wyre Forest Labour, said the poorest families in the district would suffer as a result of these changes and said they were part of a plan to slash £600million from Universal Credit.

He also criticised Wyre Forest MP Mark Garnier for voting with his party on the issue.

But the Tories accused Labour of scaremongering and insist that 50,000 more children nationwide would be eligible for meals once Universal Credit is fully implemented.

Mr Brown said: “There are around 12,000 children of school age in Wyre Forest and eligibility for free school meals in the district is at 18.9 per cent.

“It means we have a potential for 2,200 children to benefit from school meals and I calculate that we could see free school meals eligibility cut by 36 per cent and 800 children in some of the already poorest families losing out.

“I wrote to Mark to ask him which way he would vote on this matter, urging him not to cut free school meals from some of our poorest children in Wyre Forest.

“Instead of responding to that, his reply was unsympathetic and full of spin about how many more children will get free school meals.

“I wonder in what type of maths lesson at what type of school you can deduct £600million from a sum and end up getting more?

“The fact the Tories have introduced transitional arrangements to soften the blow is a clear admittance it ‘will’ mean children losing out.”

In his weekly Shuttle column, Mr Garnier points out Channel Four’s ‘fact checker’ backs the Government’s stance that more children will be eligible for free school meals. To read his full column see here.