Northamptonshire county councillors weigh in on whether Free School Meals vote was right decision

Northamptonshire's councillors have weighed in on if the Free School Meals vote last week was the right call in the wake of the county council's decision to feed families over the half term.

Conservative-led Northamptonshire County Council yesterday (October 26) announced it would fund free school meals following a hotly-debated Labour motion raised last week.

The announcement came five days after MPs voted down an opposition day motion by Labour to extend a free school meal voucher scheme over the upcoming Christmas and Easter holidays.

Critics have accused the Government of denying disadvantaged children access to food when the pandemic isn't over yet. Northampton South MP Andrew Lewer, who voted against the motion, said Labour was 'playing political games' and "virtue signaling".

Today, county councillors told the Chronicle & Echo where they felt the decision by NCC fit amid the national debate.

Conservative Councillor Suresh Patel [Duston East] said: "I welcome this. It should be done locally anyway so we can control the funding better and find out who really needs it. This is why we have a local council.

"Labour has played politics here.

"I know the leader [Councillor Matt Golby] has been working on this behind the scenes for four or five days, not just because others have been talking about it."

NCC is only the second authority to announce they would provide free school meals, following on from Labour-run Corby Council said it would step in on Saturday.

Labour Councillor Gareth Eales [Dallington] said: "Here and now, morally it's the right thing to do - but it's a sticking plaster. There's a £10bn funding gap to local councils. We need more funding nationally or it's not sustainable.

"I think it's a political move to bail out the MPs because they're taking a bashing.

"I resent and reject the notion that discussing and debating starving children is a political issue. Why has the retort to this been to call it virtue signalling?"

So far, the county council has only said the vouchers will be paid for using "money received from central government for COVID-19-related costs, which includes support for children".

It comes after the county council was allocated £8.3m of emergency cash from the Government last week.

And since the vote, dozens of local businesses have stepped up to say they would also provide free school meals over the holidays.Independent councillor Julie Davenport [Delapre] said: "Obviously it's excellent. But where do the people who have already offered to provide free meals stand? And parents have been asking me how do they get the money?

"It was games by Labour. Why did Labour only do it almost a day before the holidays when they know even if they do get it passed they wouldn't have time to implement it?

"The vote last week was disappointing, but I know how the whip works. If you don't follow the whip you get in trouble. But I don't agree with it or with how the MPs in this town chose to follow the whip."

Both MPs for Northampton, Michael Ellis and Andrew Lewer, voted against the motion.

Meanwhile, Councillor Judith Shephard [Moulton, Con.] said: "The council is going in the right direction. I don't think anyone in their right mind could vote against it."

Details on how the scheme will work are yet to be released.