Sarah Champion Urges Prime Minister Not to Cut Funding for Meals for Rotherham’s Poorest Children

Sarah Champion, Member of Parliament for Rotherham, has attacked the Government’s failure to extend vital support for people in Rotherham struggling with the Cost-of-Living Crisis.

The Household Support Fund is set to end in March. The Fund, which is worth £4.9m to Rotherham borough this year, has helped to provide free meal vouchers to 12,000 school children entitled to free school meals during the holidays, as well as Council Tax support for low-income families and energy crisis grants provided to more than 2,000 residents. 

Speaking during Prime Minister’s Questions, Sarah said: 

“The Government is set to close the Household Support Fund in March, cutting off crucial free meals for 12,000 of Rotherham’s children in the lowest income families.’  

‘With the Government’s Cost-of-Living Crisis in full swing and energy prices set to increase yet again, how does the Prime Minister justify taking food from the mouths of my poorest children?”

Responding, the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak said:

“What we are doing is ensuring that no child should grow up in poverty and that’s why not only this year we have provided considerable cost-of-living support worth over £3,000 to a typical household, more support this winter for pensioners, a record increase in the National Living Wage and a full indexation and uplifting of welfare for the next financial year.’

‘But when it comes to children and food, not only do we fund the free school meals for almost two million children, we have also introduced the holiday activity and food program which provides not just food but enriching activities to deprived children up and down the entire country, including in her local authority.”

Free school meal vouchers worth £15 per child are funded in Rotherham up to and including the Easter 2024 school holidays. However, should the Government fail to renew the Household Support Fund, they will be forced to end after that.

Commenting, Sarah said:

“The Cost-of-Living Crisis is far from over. While the Government brags that inflation has fallen, prices continue to rise. Energy costs are going up again in January, food prices remain stubbornly high and huge surges in interest rates have left many struggling to meet housing costs.’

‘It’s staggering that against this backdrop of abject failure to get a grip on a crisis of their own making, the Conservative Government thinks it is the right time to slash support for those struggling in Rotherham.’

‘Rotherham’s children should not go hungry to pay the price of the Tories’ disastrous handling of Britain’s economy. The Government must commit to extend the Household Support Fund, or the Cost-of-Living Crisis will only get worse.”

Commenting on the failure to extend the Household Support Fund, Cllr. Chris Read, Leader of Rotherham Council said: 

“There are already a number of councils across the country who have had to scale back their support because there are just so many people in dire need at the moment.’ 

‘But as demand for foodbanks in our borough has trebled, we’ve been determined to get help to those who need it directly. There is still time for the Tories to change course, but we need them to do that urgently.”