Bath MP backs calls to fund more school breakfasts
Wera Hobhouse says current government money is not doing enough
Last updated 26th Feb 2021
Bath's MP Wera Hobhouse has given her backing to a Bill calling for more funding for school breakfasts.
The government does already provide some money for breakfast clubs.
In January last year it was confirmed an extra ÂŁ11.8 million would be set aside for the scheme which first launched in 2018, but the Bath MP says current funding will run out in July.
The Liberal Democrat has added her signature to an open letter, calling for breakfasts to be funded in all disadvantaged schools over the long term.
The School Breakfast Bill was first introduced by Labour MP Emma Lewell-Buck has a Private Member's Bill though, so is unlikely to pass into law.
Wera Hobhouse tells us that is not necessarily an issue.
"What Private Member's Bills often do, while they're often unlikely to make it into legislation, they jog a government along to consider it to make it their own and then make it into legislation themselves," she said.
"Hopefully this government is listening."
In the open letter it is claimed the current government programme only reaches seven per cent of schools eligible under the government's own criteria.
"Many of us have schools in our constituencies which lost government support for school breakfast in December 2020 or are due to lose the support in July 2021," the letter reads,
"The proposed School Breakfast Bill would address this issue.
"The Bill proposed scaling up school breakfast funding to all the 8,700 schools with high levels of disadvantage in England."
Also proposed is making support to schools permanent, which the group of signatories claims would cost just over ÂŁ300m annually.
They say it could be funded by a pre-existing tax on soft drinks.
"We know you've been supportive of school breakfasts in the past and as we've outlined in this letter this Bill is affordable and will transform the lives of so many children," the letter continues.
"We urge you to consider adopting the proposals included in the School Breakfast Bill so that every child at risk of hunger can have a free, nutritious school breakfast and be ready to start their day of learning."