The decision to end free school meal support during school holidays in Wales has led to extreme financial difficulties for some families, according to one parent who anonymously spoke to the BBC. They and another parent have been granted permission to bring a case to court in the hopes of reversing the decision. The parents claim that the Welsh government’s failure to consult before it ended the support was unfair on those who received it.
The withdrawal of the support reportedly came with little to no notice, leaving some families unable to prepare for the change. The loss of an additional £100 per week during school holidays has pushed some families into poverty, with one parent forced to take out a loan.
The policy had been put in place during the pandemic and aimed to help families who were eligible for free school meals. While ministers claimed that the policy was always time-limited, the decision to end it did not come with any clear indications that it would not be extended. The Public Law Project (PLP), a legal charity working on the case, claims that ethnic minorities, single-parent families, and children’s rights were not taken into consideration during the decision-making process.
The Welsh government is currently fighting the case, though the case is expected to be heard in March in the High Court sitting in Cardiff. While officials have claimed that it would not be appropriate to comment further on the matter because of the ongoing legal action, they have said that every child in every primary school will be entitled to free school meals by September 2024
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