An extra 300 children in the Harrogate district received free school meals after the coronavirus pandemic began, figures reveal.
A total of 2,402 children received the meals in October this year, compared with 2,109 in January this year.
The Stray Ferret obtained the figures from a freedom of information request to North Yorkshire County Council, the education authority for the district.
To qualify for free school meals a parent must apply to North Yorkshire County Council with evidence that they are receiving a benefit, such as Child Tax Credit, Income Support, or Universal Credit.
Since January 2018 the number of children in the district receiving them has increased by over 58%.
Over 10% of children in the district are now receiving them, which is lower than the national average of 17.3%.
Harrogate District Food Bank project manager Lucy Stewart told the Stray Ferret that parents who work in Harrogate’s hospitality sector have been hit hard by covid restrictions.
She said:
“A lot of families live right at the end of their means. When you get furloughed and are on 80% of your income, a lot of us are not set up for living on that.
“People will have had to start claiming benefits, which triggers free school meals. The whole area will struggle because we rely so much on the conference industry normally.
“A huge industry has gone from the town and the fallout from that cascades down to working families in the hospitality industry.”
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The issue of free school meals rocketed up the agenda this year following a high profile campaign by Manchester United and England footballer Marcus Rashford.
A Labour motion to extend the provision of £15-a-week food vouchers to 1.4m disadvantaged children in England during holidays until Easter 2021 was voted down in the House of Commons in October.
Several food venues in Harrogate decided to offer families free meals, including Portofino, Major Tom’s Social, and Thug Sandwich.
The government launched a £170m Covid Winter Grant Scheme for vulnerable families across England.
