Minister claims holiday activities ‘more important’ than free school meals

A millionaire minister today claimed holiday activities are ‘more important’ to disadvantaged children than free meals as council leaders accused the Government of short changing them on funding to tackle child poverty. 

Nadhim Zahawi, the business minister, said this morning that the ‘best way’ to deal with poverty was through local government programmes and through the welfare system. 

He pointed to a pilot programme which provided food and activities to poor children during the summer holidays. 

But he risked outcry as he claimed parents ‘appreciate the food but more important than the food to them was the activities’. 

Meanwhile, Councillor David Mellen, the leader of Nottingham City Council, claimed the Government was guilty of ‘double-counting’ funding provided to local authorities to tackle child poverty. 

The Government remains under intense pressure to perform a U-turn on its refusal to extend the free school meals programme to future holidays.

Campaigners, led by Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford, argue the extension is needed because many families have been left struggling financially because of the coronavirus crisis. 

But the Government is so far refusing to budge and has instead opted to point to help and funding that is already in place. 

Mr Zahawi risked a backlash this morning as he told Sky News: ‘The best way to deal with this is through both local government and through the welfare system and that is the right thing to do.

‘We have run a pilot costing £9million this summer, feeding 50,000 children, we will take the learning from that.

‘It is not just about the food. As I said, I spoke to Carol Shanahan in Stoke on Trent [the chairman of Port Vale Football Club], she tells me that in wards where families want to keep their children safe during those activities they also appreciate the food but more important than the food to them was the activities for their children.’

Mr Zahawi’s comments come after he last week insisted struggling parents would rather pay for meals for their children than accept the ‘label’ attached to handouts. 

The minister, who co-founded the YouGov polling firm, said Universal Credit benefits were available to support hard-pressed families and suggested research from holiday clubs showed parents prefer to pay a small sum for food. 

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘The research when we did the pilot demonstrates that families didn’t just want the meals.

‘Although they valued the meals, they didn’t like the labelling of them being free. They actually prefer to pay a modest amount, £1 or £2.’ 

It came as Mr Mellen accused the Government of failing to live up to its promises on funding to tackle child poverty. 

He told Sky News: ‘The Government has given a shortfall in council funding over many years, 10 years of reductions.

‘They promised at the beginning of this year that they would stand shoulder to shoulder with us and meet the needs of our Covid costs and our lost income.

‘We are still several tens of millions short on that promise.

‘I am not convinced that the Government are not double-counting here on the money that they are saying that we already have to meet this need.’

He added: ‘They do that quite often.’

Boris Johnson insisted yesterday the Government would not allow children to go hungry but he refused to bow to demands to extend free school meals. 

Mr Johnson highlighted the money already given to councils and said Universal Credit was ‘one of the best ways you can help families in this tough time’.

Universal Credit had been increased by £20 a week while £63 million was announced in June by ministers to help local authorities feed vulnerable families – although officials expect that money to have largely been spent already.

Mr Johnson said: ‘I totally understand the issue of holiday hunger, it is there, we have to deal with it. The debate is how do you deal with it.’