10 ways councils are making budgets go further
Discover 10 ways councils are stretching budgets further, from digital transformation and energy efficiency to community partnerships and data-driven decision-making.
290,000 children missing out on free meals in childcare
20/10/2025 290,000 children under five in households claiming Universal Credit are missing out on free meals in nurseries, pre-schools, and childminders, report reveals. |
Schools lag on processed meat substitutes
01/09/2025 Over two thirds of councils are yet to remove cured meats from school menus, experts have warned. |
£600m boost secures holiday support for children
28/08/2025 Local authority leaders have welcomed the Government’s decision to invest £600m to extend the Holiday Activities and Food programme. |
LGA: Expansion of free school meals raises data questions
05/06/2025 Council leaders welcome the expansion of free school meals but warn they face data sharing and resource challenges. |
School meals posing ‘worrying’ health risks, charity warns
29/05/2025 Schools must do more to support children’s long-term health by reducing the quantity of processed meat served at mealtimes, charity says. |
Nearly 70,000 children to benefit from free breakfast clubs
24/02/2025 Around 67,000 children from some of the most deprived areas in England are set to receive free school breakfasts. |
Middlesbrough to trial auto-enrolment for free school meals
28/06/2024 Eligible children in Middlesbrough will be automatically signed up to receive free school meals from September. |
Government criticised over free school meals threshold freeze
14/05/2024 The Liberal Democrats have criticised the Government for failing to increase the income threshold for free school meals in line with inflation. |
Council forced to close school meal service
03/05/2024 Cheshire East Council has been forced to close a council-run school meal service due to ‘significant budget pressures’. |
MPs to debate free school meals extension
10/01/2024 MPs are set to debate the extension of the free school meals scheme today as tens of thousands of eligible disabled children miss out on extra support. |
Over 900 children in Stockport receive free school meals
20/09/2023 Over 900 children in Stockport are being provided with free school meals thanks to a council-run scheme. |
LGA: Extend food support to stop harm to children’s health
29/06/2023 Council chiefs have called for an extension of eligibility for free school meals and an increase in the value of the healthy start voucher scheme. |
Khan urged to provide more information on free school meals
20/04/2023 Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has been urged to provide more information about how he will implement his free school meals initiative. |
Welsh council chiefs welcome free school meal extension
10/03/2023 Councils in Wales have welcomed the Welsh government’s announcement that free school meals will continue for children from lower income families over holidays. |
Westminster City Council offers free school meals to 14,000 more children
09/03/2023 Children aged three to 14 in Westminster will be given free school meals in what the council is claiming as the most ambitious scheme of its kind in London. |
Khan announces £130m free school meal funding
20/02/2023 Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, today announced £130m would be made available to ensure all primary schoolchildren in the capital can receive free school meals. |
Over 200,000 children missing out on free school meals
17/02/2023 Local authority leaders have called for the introduction of an automated sign-up system in order to expand access to free school meals to 215,000 children. |
Westminster council unveils cost-of-living crisis budget
07/02/2023 Westminster City Council has unveiled a budget aimed at helping residents hit by the cost-of-living crisis. |
Doctors back free school meal campaign
03/11/2022 Health care professionals have urged the Government to offer free school meals to thousands more children to fight malnutrition. |
Four million children face ‘food insecurity’
18/10/2022 An estimated four million children are currently living in homes that do not have adequate access to food, a food charity has revealed. |
Nearly two million children face food shortages
10/10/2022 The rising cost of food has left nearly two million school children facing food shortages, a new survey has revealed. |
School leaders call for free school meals during holidays
16/09/2022 The bank holiday this Monday has underlined the importance of providing pupils with free school meals during holidays, school and college leaders have said. |
Mayor Khan calls for universal free school meals
21/06/2022 Mayor Khan has urged the Government to extend provision of healthy free school meals to all primary school children to help with the 'perilous economic times'. |
Universal free school meals in Wales to start from September
20/06/2022 Every primary school pupil in Wales will receive a free school meal by 2024, the Welsh Government has confirmed. |
Scottish council to deliver school meals by drone
17/06/2022 Pupils in remote parts of Argyll and Bute on the west coast of Scotland could soon have their school meals delivered by drone. |
Nearly two million pupils eligible for free school meals
10/06/2022 The number of children eligible for free school meals in England has risen again in the past year, new figures have shown. |
Teaching unions call for expansion of free school meal eligibility
01/06/2022 Teaching unions have called on the Government to extend free school meals to all families on Universal Credit (UC). |
Welsh government announces £25m to roll out free school meals
31/03/2022 The Welsh government is investing £25m in school kitchen and dining infrastructure to roll out free school meals to all primary school children in Wales. |
Birmingham CC stops school holiday meal vouchers
30/03/2022 Birmingham City Council has confirmed that school holiday meal vouchers will no longer be provided by the local authority. |
Free school meals scheme could feed one million more children
25/03/2022 One million more school children could be fed if the sign-up process to the free school meals was simplified, local authority leaders have said. |
Councils get funding to deliver milk and healthy snack scheme
02/08/2021 Scottish local authorities will receive up to £12m funding to ensure all eligible pre-schoolers get milk and a healthy snack. |
Free breakfast club for low-income families extended for two years
12/07/2021 Thousands more children in disadvantaged areas in England will benefit from free breakfasts at school, the Government has announced. |
Free school meals for an extra 90,000 primary pupils in Scotland
07/06/2021 Local authorities in Scotland will be given nearly £50m in new funding to provide free school meals for 90,000 primary pupils. |
Labour calls for free school meals over holidays
26/05/2021 Over half a million children became eligible for free school meals during the first year of the pandemic, analysis by Labour has estimated. |
Household food insecurity at 'crisis' levels warns report
02/03/2021 The Government must make food insecurity a priority and move away from short-term emergency measures, a new report has urged today. |
Government urged to fund free school meals during holidays
15/02/2021 Labour has warned 1.4 million children face a postcode lottery in food support this half-term. |
Return of free school meals voucher scheme
19/01/2021 The Government has relaunched the free school meal vouchers following the scandal surrounding 'disgusting' food parcels. |
Councils told to provide free school meals during half term
15/01/2021 Councils have been tasked with providing free meals to school children during half term week next month, prompting an outcry from the sector. |
Councils urge action over 'disgusting' free school meals pictures
13/01/2021 The Government has promised to investigate after pictures appeared on social media of ‘disgusting’ free school meal parcels. |
Councils welcome £170m COVID winter grant scheme
09/11/2020 A new £170m COVID winter grant scheme will be distributed to councils to stop children going hungry during the second wave of the pandemic. |
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Councils urged to appoint 'Food Champion'
05/11/2020 Councils have been urged to appoint a Food Champion and work with a Food Partnership in a bid to tackle food poverty. |
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Charities tell PM to protect children from ‘winter of hunger’
04/11/2020 The UK’s leading children’s charities have joined forces to urge the Government to do more to protect children this winter. |
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Marcus Rashford honoured by Manchester City Council
29/10/2020 The City of Manchester Award has been given to Marcus Rashford in recognition of his work to extend free school meals during school holidays. |
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Charity warns parents are struggling to cover school food costs
23/10/2020 Nearly one million children are living in households that are struggling to afford to feed their children during a school day, according to a new survey. |
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Nearly one million children set to lose free school meals over holidays
21/10/2020 Nearly one million children living in areas that are subject to Tier 2 and 3 coronavirus restrictions are set to lose access to free school meals over the holidays, a new analysis has revealed. |
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Labour calls for free school meals to be provided during holidays
19/10/2020 Labour has thrown its weight behind a petition urging the Government to extend the provision of free school meals during holidays by threatening to force a vote in the Commons. |
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Nearly one million children sign up for free school meals
12/10/2020 Around 900,000 children have newly registered for free school meals this Autumn, according to the Food Foundation. |
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Calls to extend free school meals to children from migrant families
17/08/2020 Pupils from low-income migrant families should receive free school meals to prevent thousands of children from going hungry, 60 organisations have said. |
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National Food Strategy calls for more free school meals
29/07/2020 Free school dinners should be extended to every child where their parent or guardian is receiving Universal Credit, a report has recommended today. |
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PM forced into U-turn on free school meals
16/06/2020 Council chiefs have welcomed the decision to provide a £120m voucher scheme to allow children from the poorest families get free school meals over the summer. |
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Food voucher scheme to be extended over the Easter holidays
07/04/2020 Councils have welcomed plans to extend the free food voucher scheme to cover the Easter school holidays. |
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Pupils eligible for free school meals will receive food vouchers
31/03/2020 The families of children entitled to free school meals will receive a weekly food shopping voucher of £15 while schools are closed due to coronavirus. |
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Cash boost for breakfast clubs
06/01/2020 The Government has announced an investment of nearly £12m to deliver free meals and summer holiday activities for children in disadvantaged areas. |
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Charity calls for help feeding children during the holidays
16/07/2019 The Trussell Trust is urging people to donate food to their local food bank to help support families with children during the summer holidays. |
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Whitehall launches £9m holiday programme for disadvantaged children
21/12/2018 The Government today launched a £9m programme to provide disadvantaged children with free meals and activities during the school holidays. |
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Council to stop supplying non-stunned halal meat in schools
13/07/2018 Lancashire County Council has announced it will no longer supply non-stunned halal meat to schools against the wishes of its residents. |
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Over 100,000 children to lose free school meals under reforms
05/04/2018 One in eight children who would have qualified for free school meals under the old system will become ineligible under universal credit. |
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Underfunded breakfast clubs to received £26m ‘boost’
19/03/2018 The Government has announced schools in some of the country’s most disadvantaged areas will receive £26m in order to boost breakfast clubs after warnings of underfunding. |
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North Lanarkshire to offer free school meals during holidays
19/02/2018 A Scottish council is planning to pilot a new programme that will provide children in low income households with free meals every day of the year. |
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Free school meals: What do the changes mean for families?
18/01/2018 Which children should be receiving a free hot meal at school and who should pay for it? Mark Whitehead reports. |
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Reforms to free school meals would leave children hungry, warn union
15/01/2018 A leading union has dismissed government proposed reforms to free school meal entitlement as 'a cut disguised as a kindness.' |
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Million children to lose free school meals under Universal Credit
19/12/2017 One million children living in poverty in England will miss out on free school meals under Universal Credit (UC) proposals, a children’s charity has warned. |
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An extra 50,000 children could get free school dinners under Universal Credit reforms
17/11/2017 About 50,000 more children will be eligible for free school meals under new proposals for the Universal Credit system, according to the Government. |
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Health experts unveil best menus to tackle childhood obesity
13/11/2017 Thai chicken curry, moussaka and pork ragu are on the menus for children recommended by health experts in a drive to cut obesity. |
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Lancashire CC bans unstunned halal meat
27/10/2017 Lancashire CC yesterday decided to stop providing schools with unstunned halal meat due to concerns over ‘unnecessary stress and suffering’ for the animals. |
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Over 100 pesticides detected on fruit and veg in schools, campaigners claim
05/09/2017 Campaigners have found over 100 different pesticides on the fruit and vegetables supplied to schools by the department of health. |
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Tory school breakfast pledge to cost three times estimated £60m
25/05/2017 The Conservative Party’s promise to provide free breakfasts to all primary school pupils will cost three times as much as the £60m they originally suggested. |
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Labour's free school meals would cost £950m a year finds research
10/05/2017 Labour’s pledge to provide free school meals for all primary pupils would cost £950m a year, new analysis has revealed. |
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MPs call for sugary drinks levy to be used to tackle school holiday hunger
25/04/2017 Three million children risk going hungry during the school holidays, putting them in danger of malnutrition and undermining their education prospects. |
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Wales to invest £0.5m into holiday meals for deprived pupils
03/01/2017 The Welsh government is investing £500,000 into providing school meals and activities for pupils from deprived communities during the summer holidays. |
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MPs urged to support take up of free school dinners
28/11/2016 Councils should be free to share benefit data with schools to enable children to be automatically signed up for free meals, school leaders have said. |
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MPs warn more children are going to school hungry
18/04/2016 An increasing number of children are going to school hungry and underweight, according to the results of a major new study. |
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Council criticised for ‘shocking fall’ in exam results
13/04/2016 A council has been criticised for a ‘shocking fall’ in the GCSE results of pupils on free school meals. |
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Nearly 2,500 academies not signed up to healthy school meal standards
22/03/2016 A loophole that enables nearly 2,500 academies and free schools avoid signing up to healthy school meal standards must be closed in a forthcoming child obesity strategy, town hall leaders say. |
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Two-tier school meals standards must end, says LGA
07/01/2015 Council leaders have called for loopholes to be closed that mean 4,000 schools do not have to adhere to new standards on healthy meals. |
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Free school meals now eaten by 85% of infant school pupils
18/12/2014 More than 1.6 million children have taken up free school meals in England’s infant schools since they were introduced in September. |
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Scottish councils given extra £241m in funding settlement
12/12/2014 Scottish councils have been handed an additional £241m this year to support young children and lessen the impact of the 'bedroom tax'. |
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Council investigates claim pupils received single chicken nugget for lunch
22/09/2014 A council is launching an investigation into claims local reception children received only one chicken nugget for their school lunch. |
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Clegg grilled on radio over free school meals by ‘nine-year-old’
05/09/2014 Nick Clegg has been taken to task live on radio over his free school meals policy by a listener claiming to be a nine-year-old child. |
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Clegg launches free meals for infant schools
02/09/2014 The Government has today launched free school meals for all children in their first three years of school. |
