This will impact the most marginalised and poorest of children many for whom this is their only hot & nutritious meal of the day, says GMB London GMB is calling on ministers to re-think plans to cut free school meals in England after a defeat in the House of Lords. On Tuesday 21 March, peers backed a motion tabled by Labour’s Steve Bassam by just seven (167-160) to postpone the shake-up for at least six months, allowing time for a "poverty impact assessment.” The vote comes after the Tory government, along with the DUP voted to cut free school meals in England on Tuesday 13 March. The vote in the House of Commons cut the threshold for free school meals for the children of families on Universal Credit to £7,400 per year. In England, 14% of all school pupils are currently eligible for, and are currently claiming, free school meals. In London, 16.6% of pupils are known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals. The borough with most children claiming school meals is Tower Hamlets which currently sees 35.6% of its 44,285 pupils eligible and claiming the meals. Other boroughs who have a high percentage of pupils claiming free school meals include; Hackney with 30%; Islington with 29.5%, Camden with 26.7%, Westminster with 24.3%, Lambeth with 24.1%, and Hammersmith and Fulham with 22%. For more information click here https://www.gmblondon.org.uk/news/free-school-meal-cuts-in-london Join GMB today. Our membership form takes around 10 minutes to complete. https://www.gmb.org.uk/join/join-online Regards