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22
Oct 2020
The Stray Ferret has received lots of messages about free school meals after last night's vote in the House of Commons.
A Labour motion to extend provision of £15-a-week food vouchers to 1.4m disadvantaged children in England during holidays until Easter 2021 was voted down.
Opposition motions rarely succeed — only one has done so since 1978. They are designed to raise issues governments would prefer to ignore but the high profile support of footballer Marcus Rashford and the sensitivity of the issue generated considerable interest.
Many comments to the Stray Ferret were critical of Harrogate district Conservative MPs Andrew Jones, Julian Smith, and Nigel Adams, who all voted against the motion.
The Harrogate district is below the national average for children receiving school meals, but nevertheless almost 1 in 10 children receive them.
A spokesperson from Harrogate District Food Bank, a charity that supports community action, told the Stray Ferret it expected to see Harrogate families using its food bank during half-term next week.
The spokesperson said:
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