Andrew Dismore

Today the London Assembly passed a motion aiming to tackle the problem of children’s school holiday hunger. 1 in 4 children in London are at risk of hunger during school holidays, according to the Trust for London, who also noted that free school meals were only available for half the days in a year.

Labour London Assembly Member for Barnet and Camden Andrew Dismore proposed the motion, saying:

‘We cannot have a situation in which where you live dictates whether a child is fed. With nutrition linked both to child health and attainment at school, the lack of a decent meal over a period of weeks affects not just the current experience of child, but their future health and opportunities. Addressing this issue will require a comprehensive national effort.

‘The Mayor’s Fund and local councils are trying to address this by putting on holiday clubs that include a food element, but more is needed. I welcome the call for the Mayor to meet the Minister of State for Children and Families, to lobby for the provision of holiday clubs across London and to extend the holiday pilots beyond 2019/20.’

ENDS

Notes:

• Andrew Dismore is the Labour London Assembly Member for Barnet and Camden
• The text of the motion is below:

“This Assembly notes that over a quarter of London’s children are living in poverty and are at risk of going hungry during the school holidays. Holiday hunger leads to a loss in educational attainment of which many children never recover. Evidence from the All Party Parliamentary Group on Hunger found that children were returning to school in a worse educational, health and developmental state than that in which they had left in the summer.

“This Assembly recognises the work of the Mayor’s Fund for London’s Kitchen Social project but eradicating holiday hunger for all Londoners cannot be tackled by charities and community groups alone – it needs a concerted effort from national Government. This is particularly important as food banks report experience a shortage of food in the summer months as the number of children relying on them increases. This Assembly calls on the Mayor to meet with the Minister of State for Children and Families to lobby for the provision of holiday clubs throughout London and to extend the Government pilots before 2019/20.”