No money for summer holiday meals, says Drakeford

Free school meals will not continue in the summer months.

There is no money to continue free school meals during the school holidays, First Minister Mark Drakeford has said.

The Welsh government has ended a scheme, which started in the pandemic, that saw meals provided in the holidays.

Mr Drakeford is under pressure from politicians in Welsh Labour to change his mind.

The party's leader said cash that was available in the past "had ceased" and the government could not fund "extra" policies beyond what it already does.

Footballer Marcus Rashford had praised the Welsh government when it began funding free school meals in the holidays for eligible families in 2020.

The scheme had been extended up until the end of the last half-term break.

Plaid Cymru, the Welsh Conservatives and some Welsh Labour politicians expressed concern after the scheme - which had been extended up until the end of the last half-term break - was scrapped.

Welsh government estimates say it would cost £15m to fund free school meals over the summer holidays.

Speaking to Radio Wales Breakfast, Mr Drakeford said they “always said” the scheme would have to come to an end “back at the Whitsun half term, because the funding that we have been able to use for it simply ceased – there is no money for this purpose.”

“No Labour minister or backbencher would not want to be able to extend further a scheme that we were able to introduce in the emergency circumstances of Covid”.

But he said the Welsh government budget is worth “£900m less than what it was worth in October 2021”.

“The struggle facing the Welsh government in this year and next year will to be go on affording the things we already do.

“There simply is no money to do extra things over and above.”

He said the Welsh government would continue funding the “food and fun” scheme for the summer holidays, and provided meals in 139 schools in 2022.

The Welsh government/Plaid co-operation deal includes plans to roll out universal free school meals in primary schools, costing £260m over three years.

Education Minister Jeremy Miles on Wednesday blamed Plaid for not allowing some of the budget from the co-operation deal to be spent on holiday meals.

Plaid said the decision was not taken by the party or as part of the agreement, and said cash for the deal is a "tiny proportion of the Welsh government's overall budget".

Plaid's Heledd Fychan said: "We're disappointed because it was communicated in the press. We haven't received any formal statements.

"We are worried because we're already seeing an increase in families needing our help.

"There's a big question about what's going to happen to those children and young people who are going to go hungry this summer."