Shropshire Star

Star comment: Families must take initiative

Free school dinners are on the menu for a staggering 1.5 million children aged under seven. And that number could increase dramatically if a Liberal Democrat plan is approved to extend the scheme for all children under 11.

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But the scheme is already causing ructions with councils and schools saying they fear they will not be able to afford all of England's infants.

Food has been high on the agenda this year for all of the wrong reasons. The nation's dependence on food banks is ever-increasing and now the Government feels parents are no longer equipped to meet the nutritional demands of our youngest pupils.

Those facts paint a worrying story. They suggest that there is an impoverished underclass who live below the breadline and can't afford to meet the most basic of requirements – food. As summer fades and autumn and winter edge nearer, too many families will have to choose between heating their homes or feeding their families.

There is, however, another way of looking at the new policy. The free school meals are being offered to all parents, irrespective of their income. That means that the nation's most comfortable families will save an average of £437 per child, per year. And we have to ask ourselves: can we, as a nation, really afford that?

In recent years, council services have been under the most severe pressure as budgets are cut. And yet money will now be spent feeding the children of families who are perfectly capable of doing so themselves.

The debate is not about whether it is right or wrong to provide good nutrition for children. We all know that is extremely beneficial. Youngsters are able to concentrate more effectively, enjoy improved mental health and grow more rapidly.

The issue is our nanny state. If 50 years ago you'd told parents that they were not responsible for feeding their children, they would have laughed. Personal responsibility, however, no longer seems to count.

It is time that families took back control and took their responsibilities seriously. And it is time that politicians stopped pandering to voters. They should feed those who cannot afford it. But they should leave the rest to get on with it.

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