York Council confirm no new schools to offer meals to all pupils till 2025
Two Primary schools in the City are piloting the project
No more primary school children in York will start receiving free meals until 2025.
Before the May 2023 local elections, York Labour pledged to fundraise enough money to provide free school meals for all primary school children.
In January 2024, a one-year trial for midday meals at Westfield Primary School started, followed by a trial for free breakfasts at Burton Green Primary School.
But there are 57 primary schools under the City of York Council and the policy is expected to cost around £3m.
The council’s education executive, Coun Bob Webb, confirmed the next starting point for new schools to benefit from the scheme would be January 2025.
When asked if Labour is losing confidence in the pledge following a service-cutting, money-saving budget announcement, the finance executive Coun Katie Lomas said: “I wouldn’t say that we have lost any confidence in that.”
She added: “We’re getting more and more interest from people wanting to make long-term and significant donations to the fund.”
The pot being used to fundraise money for the policy is called the ‘Hungry Minds Fund’ and is managed by Two Ridings Community Foundation rather than the council.
Regarding fulilling the pledge, Coun Lomas said: “We are confident that we will be in a position to roll this out but I cannot tell you exactly when.”
Coun Webb said: “We are working with the Universities of York and Leeds to evaluate the pilot to help us make good decisions about what works best for schools and next steps.”
He added: “More information about further fundraising activities will be released in due course.
“The early indications from schools are that this is supporting improvements to attendance and young people getting access to healthy food as well as with family finances.”