Aylesbury's MP explains why he voted against extending the free school meal scheme
A plan to extend free lunch vouchers for low income families in the school holidays was rejected by MP's this week.
Last updated 23rd Oct 2020
The MP for Aylesbury voted against the extension to the free school meal scheme this week.
Rob Butler, MP for Aylesbury, was one of 322 MP's that voted against a Labour motion to extend free school meal vouchers for the coming holidays.
The call to adjust the scheme was brought by Labour, but follows a huge campaign from Manchester United and England footballer Marcus Rashford MBE.
Earlier in the year, Rashford called for the scheme to continue into the summer holidays and following a u-turn by the government this was done.
Rob Butler, has explained why he voted against it extending again:
"It wouldn't really be appropriate to ask schools to administer meals when they're meant to be on holiday. Does it mean you have to bring the head teacher in? Does it mean you have to bring other teachers and staff in?
"Free school meals, as the name suggests, are for term time. But I completely appreciate why people feel strongly about it.
"None of us want a child to go hungry, but the right way to do it is through broader welfare support."
He explained the the extension given earlier in the year to the scheme was always seen a temporary measure, while the boundary between school and home was unclear.
In place of extending the meal voucher scheme through the upcoming holidays an increase in Universal Credit has been made.
Rob Butler, believes this will support the low income families better:
"We believe the best way to help families who need a bit of extra financial assistance is through Universal Credit.
"So Universal Credit has actually gone up by £20 a week to get us through the pandemic and that is through till next April.
"We believe that is the right way to help support families and particularly children, to make sure they get the food they need."
However, since the motion was rejected on Wednesday local businesses and authorities have announced plans to run their own voucher/meal scheme.
With Marcus Rashford sharing the information of these plans and schemes on his social media.
Liverpool's Mayor Joe Anderson has announced that the council will provide meal vouchers, while Bucks Student Union say they will provide a hot meal for children in need.
Rob Butler, MP, expressed his gratitude to local businesses and residents who are offering their time and resources for similar schemes:
"I really appreciate all that has been done by businesses and organisations across the whole of the Aylesbury constituency during the coronavirus pandemic to help those who are most in need.
"But lets remember that there is support for children to get food through the additional money that is being put into universal credit, so that we make sure families do have the money they need to pay for food for their children."