The final item on the agenda at the September council meeting was a motion tabled by Cllr. Ross Penhale-Thomas (Ind, Maesteg West) and co-sponsored by Cllr. Alex Williams (Ind, Penprysg) and Cllr. Malcolm James (Plaid, Llangynwyd). The discussion is available to watch towards the end of this video (link).
Cllr. Penhale-Thomas said more children living in poverty in Wales miss out on free school meals when compared to Scotland and England, with the annual house income threshold at £7,400 or below to be eligible.
For “the fifth richest country in the world” it can’t be right that the poorest children may eat nothing more than jam sandwiches. Proper school meals improve concentration in the classroom in afternoon sessions and aid general development and mental health.
Extending provision for families receiving universal credit has been estimated to cost £10.5million a year, while universal free school meals would cost around £140million a year.
Cllr. Alex Williams said it was right to recognise the achievements of the Welsh Government on free breakfasts and regarding measures during the pandemic. However, it was equally right to call for them to go further by introducing universal free school meals (subject to a proper cost-benefit analysis) to reduce the stigma around receiving them.
Cllr. Williams even suggested that BCBC should carry out this work themselves to determine the figures and impact at a Bridgend-only level.
Cabinet Member for Education & Regeneration, Cllr. Charles Smith (Lab, Llangewydd & Brynhyfryd) said everyone knows the value of school meals, which date back to the 1920s as a statutory service.
There was nothing in the motion to quarrel with, though these things take resources and some councillors backing this may go into local elections arguing for lower taxes. Additionally, UK Government doesn’t stick to the principle that taxes should be progressive and based on ability to pay.
A recorded vote of those still present in the meeting was taken and it was passed by 28 votes to 4.
The four who voted against were Cllrs. Tom Giffard, Kay Rowlands and Aniel Pucella (all Con, Brackla) and Cllr. Sadie Vidal (Con, Litchard).
Senedd backs call for universal credit uplift to be maintained; UK Government abstains
There was a non-binding vote in the UK Parliament calling for the £20-a-week universal credit uplift to be kept, resulting in a mass abstention by the Conservatives (so they neither agreed nor disagreed with it).
A non-binding Plaid Cymru-led vote also took place in the Senedd on Wednesday (15th September) calling for the uplift to be maintained.
Sarah Murphy MS (Lab, Bridgend) added that there were more than 4,700 children in Bridgend county living in households that receive universal credit. 40% of those receiving universal credit are in work and often in low-paid frontline roles like nursing assistants, teaching assistants and retail workers; a teaching assistant could lose more than £1,000 a year as a result of the £20 cut.
Luke Fletcher MS (Plaid, South Wales West) said the debate was primarily about providing dignity and respect for citizens. The cut was expected to result in families losing an estimated £286million combined across Wales.
The Senedd motion – which won’t matter as welfare is non-devolved and is the responsibility of the UK Government – was approved by 40 votes to 14.
