Only 25 families requested food parcels in Sandwell during half-term - as Wolverhampton sent out 5,000
Only 25 families requested food parcels from Sandwell Council during the half-term break – compared to 5,000 who got parcels in neighbouring Wolverhampton, it has been revealed.
Thousands of Black Country children missed out on free meals during the holiday as councils scrambled to provide help after a Government decision not to fund school dinners.
The huge differences came to light when authorities were asked how many people had requested help to feed their children.
The Government decision not to extend free school meals caused political fury and saw private companies and charities stepping in to make sure youngsters were fed.
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Sandwell Council provided 68 emergency food parcels after 25 calls to a special helpline set up only days before the holiday began. Over 16,000 children in the borough are eligible for free school meals.
Council bosses stressed the emergency help was just one type of support offered saying shops, community organisations, food banks and schools supported families by providing free meals.
The deputy leader of Sandwell Council, Councillor Maria Crompton, said: “The Government decided it would not fund school meals over the October half-term break but we arranged emergency support for any families that contacted us to say they were struggling to feed their children.
“I would like to thank council staff who helped at very short notice as well as the many local food outlets, voluntary and community organisations, food banks and schools that supported families with children eligible for free school meals. This was a real team effort in Sandwell.”
Committed
Asked what plans the council has for the Christmas break she added: “The Government has said that it will make an announcement about Christmas holiday arrangements for free school meals and we are waiting for confirmation of those arrangements.
“We are committed to helping families in Sandwell and we are already exploring options to provide support if it is required.”
Sandwell’s numbers were dwarfed by neighbouring Labour-run Wolverhampton council which spent £250,000 providing vouchers and 5,000 food parcels to households.
Councillor Ian Brookfield, the leader of Wolverhampton Council, said: “We were one of only a few councils across the country to provide this sort of assistance and it was a fantastic effort, by council colleagues and city schools, to get it up and running in such a short amount of time.
“As I have said repeatedly throughout this pandemic, Wolverhampton is a city where we look out for each other and look after our own. We have seen so many instances of people coming together for the greater good and last week is a prime example of that.”
Walsall’s Conservative council leader, Mike Bird, initially ruled out any support saying the town couldn’t afford it. His comments led to a barrage of complaints and protests leading to a review of how the authority supports vulnerable people.
Dudley Council set up its helpline for families after Conservative and Labour councillors clashed over the whether the authority should provide school meals.
Dudley declined to say how many families it had helped during half-term but Conservative leader, Councillor Patrick Harley, said: “We recognise there are many people who are struggling during the current crisis and I’m pleased we were able to support families during the half-term week.
“As this situation continues, we remain committed to supporting our most vulnerable residents and will be shortly reinstating our Covid Support Line during this current period of national tighter restrictions and into the new year, covering the Christmas holiday break.
“Families will be able to get the advice and support they need as well as help with essential food supplies.”
