Nursery World - Labour secures vote on Government free school meal and childcare changes

Labour is seeking to overthrow Government plans for changes to the eligibility criteria for childcare for two-year-olds and free school meals in a vote in Parliament.

The three-hour debate will take place in the House of Commons on Tuesday (13 March) following Chancellor Philip Hammond’s Spring financial statement.

The Government wants to bring in means-testing for funded two-year-old places and set an income-threshold for free school meals. Currently all families receiving universal credit are entitled to free school meals, as part of the transition process to the new benefits system.

For those families that are affected, Labour argues that the income threshold will create a cliff-edge, meaning some parents could be better off either reducing their hours, or not taking additional hours or pay rises, because moving just above the income threshold would leave them hundreds of pounds worse off for each child affected. This directly undermines the Government’s stated aim of Universal Credit, to make work pay.

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