Leader Adam Hug

THOUSANDS of secondary school children who live in Westminster will be offered free lunches for the first time.

The offer builds on an earlier scheme offering lunch to all primary school children whether they live in the borough or not.

In total some 14,000 children will be eligible for free school meals from September thanks to the flagship policy from the new Labour council.

Headteacher of Portman Nursery School Amie Curtis said: “Having access to a substantial meal is an undiluted and direct approach to tackling disadvantage and child poverty.

“Making this universal, however, means that the reach of this initiative will also benefit the hundreds (if not thousands) of children from families on the margins who often are not easily identified by our front-line support services.”

Last month Pimlico North Conservative councillor Jim Glen had insisted that council tax should not be spent on “children of wealthy residents” who come into schools from outside the borough. Free school meals… Like motherhood and apple pie, who could argue with such a good idea?” said Cllr Glen, an art director.

“I am aware of funding issues in schools and pressure families are facing. But this is gesture politics.

“Firstly, is this what council tax is for? Funding free school meals is not a responsibility of the council.”

Labour’s new free school meals deal was agreed at a full Westminster City Council meeting on Wednesday night.

Council leader Adam Hug said: “We want to take some pressure away from families at a time when we know they are already struggling.

“Some parents go without to fill a lunchbox with whatever is left in the cupboard – however meagre – to ensure their child. It cannot be right that children in one of the richest cities on Earth are being left to make do with scraps.

“We need to see equality built into the system for future generations.”