MPs for Filey and Scarborough & Whitby defend voting against free school meals in holidays

Thirsk and Malton MP Kevin Hollinrake, a Conservative whose constituency includes Filey, made a staunch defence of his decision to vote against funding free school meals during school holidays until Easter 2021.

He has firmly backed the Government’s stance and believes the issue isn’t as simple as it has been portrayed.

Scarborough and Whitby Tory MP Robert Goodwill also voted against the extension and said the issue was a “distraction” to everything that the Government did to make sure children didn’t go hungry.

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He said the benefits system and Universal Credit allowed families to feed their children. A bigger challenge was helping families with deeper problems such as drug or alcohol addiction or debt.

Mr Hollinrake said extending the scheme wouldn’t be fair and would inflict a “significant extra cost” on the taxpayer.

Mr Hollinrake, chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Poverty, added: “These are exceptional times but it’s very dangerous when you start looking at various policies in isolation.

“I am sure Marcus Rashford and his team have the best of intentions but their campaign is about a long-term, very significant expansion of free school meals which would put a significant extra cost burden on the taxpayer. It’s important that we look at these things in the round.”

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Mr Hollinrake said there had been too much “finger-pointing” on both sides and he would relish a sensible debate.

“I would be delighted to sit down with Marcus Rashford and his team. He has brought forward this policy with the best of intentions but has probably not considered the implications of that in terms of cost and perspective.

“I am a believer in parental responsibility and I don’t believe it’s right that we should provide a sudden shift from the individual to the State. That would be an unintended consequence.

“I am far from unsympathetic. For certain groups and families I am all in favour. But if we agree to this next extension that will not be the end to it.

“There’s a more broad-reaching campaign and we need to have a proper debate rather than stick a plaster over it.”

Mr Goodwill added: “We are not a third world country and there are benefits in place. We should be looking at helping families in crisis. If only it was so simple to issue these families with vouchers.”

Mr Goodwill said the issue had been hijacked by Labour. He said he’d received emails from Labour activists but none from families affected.

“For 13 years there was a Labour government and never were vouchers given out for school meals in the holidays,” he added.