I believe that at £616.67 per month for parents on Universal Credit that it is too low. Any working families earning over this threshold do not receive any help for free school meals or the pupil premium, which is given to the child’s school.  

Low income families are spending a higher percentage of their income now on seriously out of control energy bills. The cost of fuel has increased and the cost of essential, basic foods have also increased. Mortgage rates are already rising rapidly. Yet the threshold for Free School Meals stays the same.  This is penalising low paid  working parents who don’t have the means to meet the extra costs.  

The current policy means that a parent earning £617 a month gets no help and a parent earning £616 a month gets the full help.  £617 a month is a pitiful amount.

Parents on Working Tax Credit can earn up to £16,190 per year and receive help in the from of Free School Meals.  Parents on Universal Credit can only earn £616.67 per month (Equivalent to £7,400 per year).  This doesn’t seem fair or logical.  Why are the two amounts so vastly different?

It is good that working people are gradually being given increases in pay to help to compensate for the huge increase in the cost of living but why is the threshold for help such as Free School Meals.

It feels as though ordinary working people are being penalised for working. Working parents are finding themselves financially worse off by receiving a pay rise!

Children should not be going hungry. The income threshold for children to receive Free School Meals needs to be increased.