Leeds councillors to vote on free school meals call

Coun Diane Chapman is set to put forward a motion – known as a white paper – before a full meeting of Leeds City Council next week.

It reads: “This council implores the government to implement, as a matter of urgency, a free schools meal equivalent scheme for all eligible children during school holidays and lockdowns.”

Authority members will then be asked to vote on whether to adopt the motion as a policy of the council.

It follows the highly publicised campaign led by Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford last month to push for the government to provide free school meals for struggling families throughout the October half-term holidays.

A motion put forward by the Labour party which called for free school meals to be extended over school holidays until Easter 2021 was voted on by MPs in Parliament. It was defeated by 261 votes to 322 – majority 61 – in the Commons on Wednesday, October 21.

Three Leeds MPs – Andrea Jenkyns, Stuart Andrew and Alec Shelbrooke – voted against the bill.

The full Leeds City Council meeting is set to take place on Wednesday, November 11.