The number of children eligible for free school meals on the Isle of Wight has risen a staggering 63% in the past 4 years.
The shocking figure has been revealed as the Isle of Wight Council announces a 4th food pantry will be set up on the Island — offering food at discounted rates to those who need it.
The matter of child poverty was highlighted by Councillor Michael Lilley at the council’s cabinet last week — 4 years after his motion calling for the authority to reduce child poverty on the Island was passed.
Cllr Lilley called for the authority to reaffirm its commitment to reducing child poverty. He wanted specific targets set to tackle food insecurity here, after a recent report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation estimated 20 to 25% of children are in poverty.
Councillor Debbie Andre, Isle of Wight Council’s cabinet member for children’s services, said a good indicator of child poverty is free school meal eligibility.
Between Autumn 2018/19 and Autumn 2022/23, the number of children eligible for income-related free school meals increased from 2,452 to 4,008.
Cllr Andre said the council would ensure future money would be targeted at the most vulnerable children. She highlighted existing schemes, run by the council and government, through connect4communities: Community pantries, established on the Island; free activity schemes over the school holidays — which have included food; and said they were accessed by nearly 900 children during the Christmas holidays.
Cllr Andre insisted her group’s 2023/24 budget proposals would prioritise vulnerable Islanders and continue to support connect4communities.
Cllr Lilley plans to revisit the impact of poverty when a report is published by Healthwatch Isle of Wight, investigating its links to physical and mental health.
Can only blame the council and government
All they seem to do is take tske take with nothing in return
But at least these councillors and government are fed and warm with no worries on paying there bills.
Sorry let me rephrase that we are paying their bills.
Hi pops, don’t disagree with you but would point out that before i started a family i made sure i had a steady income and a decent home for the expected family, i did not expect anyone to give me charity and knew if i wanted something i had to earn it myself.
Im exactly the same as you. Never claimed a penny from anyone never been in debt and worked hard. But not everyone has that sort of luck with loosing jobs and other problems in life.
You are to be commended but you are a rarity.
You know people lose their jobs or become too I’ll to work, right? Circumstances change. Just because you were lucky doesn’t mean everyone else is.
With years of people crying out for workers, even if you lost your job easy to get another IF you weren’t better off not working.
Having produced another drain on society, now you are better off than those without children which should never be, as so many have children as a means to a lazy life and free rent and council tax home.
All maintained, only have to work 16 hours and then get their wage made up, so best of all worlds now they whinge for ever more money, hand outs and free food.
Low life, bringing more low life for future generations to have to fund.
If YOU can’t afford to have it and fund it, abort or use contraception.
The few genuine people who can’t work are dwarfed by the free loading benefit scum now
Pops, you are aware that councillors are not paid? Apart from “allowances” for the more time-consuming roles.
I don’t doubt that IW Council would love to do much more to rellieve child poverty (and fuel poverty) but as long as central government keeps squeezing the pips, they have no room to manoeuvre.
Perhaps you should talk to our MP – anyone remember who he is?
So how can they advertise a job at 130k a year for one person but you say they don’t get paid? Don’t be silly of cause they get paid or they wouldn’t be there. And how much does the so called council leader get paid?
There was a news bulletin on here not so long ago with how much councillors get paid and it wasn’t a small amount.
There is very little correlation between poverty and free school meals, the pre- cursor for free meals is parent or parents or carer receiving some form of state benefit, as the majority of us are aware through personal knowledge or through newspaper reporting there is widesoread abuse of the benefit system, last year alone it cost the UK 100 billion pounds.
Hardly surprising, seeing as their parents are getting shafted (financially) in every single orafice known to mankind !
If by being shafted you mean sat at home, watching tele all day, paying reduced rent, having your bills paid, not paying council tax and claiming benefits you are not entitled too and earning money cash in hand well the only people being shafted are the tax payers.
“We’re all in this together” proclaimed David Cameron back in the day. Since then his party has continually impoverished the citizens of this country. I wonder how often his family (or any conservative party members) have to use a food bank.
As contraception is FREE, then those having children are the issue.
They plead poverty, but as they get child allowance for each child, and thousands a year in either tax credits OR universal credit, free or heavily subsidised rent and council tax, extra help with heating, free school meals, free school transport and school uniforms all they have to work is 16 hours per week and have their wages made up by the above benefits.
So, what DO they spend all their income on when so much is free or cheap?
Remember they need not save ANYTHING for new boiler, house hold repairs, maintenance property insurance as WE subsidise that as they pay so little or nothing in rent to the housing costs
Spongers on a grave train imo
And that is the reason the endless dingy arrivals come here, risking their lives to do very little and have every wombs content educated, treated and housed for free.
They don’t come for our climate.
How many of these children,s parents have the latest all sing all dancing mobile phones
IF, that were the only luxury WE pay for.
Add spray tans, false eye lashes the length only eclipsed by the even longer decorated nails.
Add too the designer clothing, the nights out, the dope the cocaine, the car, the ‘living alone’ but never sleeping alone to max ‘single muvver’ benefits.
Consider too the sat in a cafe after dropping the mini clones off at school, the takeaway delivered to their door.
Sat down the beach all Summer, whilst others work long hours
AS THE UK PAYS ALL WITH THE SAME CIRCUMSTANCE EQUAL BENEFITS, THEN AS SOME LIVE WITHOUT ADDITIONAL BEGGING THEN TRY LOOKING AT THE LOW LIFE SPONGING PARENTS FOR WHY THEIR CLONES ARE IN ‘POVERTY’
YOU BRED IT YOU FEED IT.
Children are in poverty as we do not have a society, we are fed food that disagrees with humans but is hidden because the human energy is spent disagreeing and arguing with one another, pointless argument without vision is taken as normal and every one is fed in the newspapers and the disagreeing tongues can not stop. Not to speak of the disease that drives the pursuit of more property. In poverty alright lol spiritual poverty. But you will probably disagree. So humans diet collectively manifests .
We are only animals yet clothed, we will die whatever we do, eat, say, agree or disagree with as they do.
And like them, it makes individuals angry when some work hard, others produce kids and then do nothing but leech off the workers to feed, educate, clothe, and treat their dna clones.
perfectly normal, as with animals, don’t pull your weight you die or suffer, here they thrive THAT is what is wrong with human society