Across the South East hundreds of thousands of children are at risk of going hungry during school holidays.
The worst affected will be the over 1.1 million children across the country who are eligible for and claiming a free school meal, who will miss out over the holidays.
Millions more could be at risk, as Government figures show that there are nearly four million children across England who are living in poverty, whose families may not be able to afford food.
Real wages are falling in real terms as inflation rises, which will leave more children at risk of going hungry.
Further, figures from the Trussell Trust food bank network show a significant rise in the number of food parcels being provided to children over the summer months, with 67,506 three-day emergency food supplies distributed in July and August 2016, compared with 63,094 in the previous months – an increase of more than 4,000. Just under half of those children were of primary school age, the charity’s research showed.
Stephen Morgan is backing a Private Members’ Bill to finally tackle the issue. The Member of Parliament for Portsmouth South, said:
“It is deeply concerning that millions of children across the country are at risk of going hungry during school holidays, and whilst I have welcomed local initiatives more must be done by central government.
The fact that the government is making no central assessment of children at risk, while child poverty continues to rise under the Conservatives, is completely unacceptable.
Child poverty is at a seven year high, and wages are falling, leaving working families worse off.
Every child deserves to be well fed every day, and Labour will introduce a Real Living Wage of £10 an hour to ensure that every family is able to make ends meet”.
