The Labour Party. All discussion here please

[El Cid 221]

However, everyone on social media is posting memes and creating petitions so it must be true...

 

You are right to be sceptical, but fewer children will be getting free school meals.

 

1.1 million children will lose out on free school meals compared to if Universal Credit completes its roll-out under existing legislation.

 

https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/sites/default/files/uc-fsm-tcs-consultation-response-9-jan-2018-final.pdf

 

The Government is setting a new £7,400 annual income threshold for free school meals in England under Universal Credit, to take effect from 1 April 2018.

 

One area of Britain which seems to be protected from free school meal cuts is Northern Ireland, where the Government has just taken direct control of budgets and where the same threshold for eligibility will be nearly double the rest of the country, at £14,000.

[the_bloke 17]

https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/sites/default/files/uc-fsm-tcs-consultation-response-9-jan-2018-final.pdf

 

I stopped reading that link when it said 'a million children in poverty will miss out on a free school meal'

 

Ah, the old 'relative poverty' chestnut. You could give a minimum wage of £20 an hour in the UK and that person on minimum wage would still be classed as being in poverty but they wouldn't be poor would they?

[melthebell 864]

I stopped reading that link when it said 'a million children in poverty will miss out on a free school meal'

 

Ah, the old 'relative poverty' chestnut. You could give a minimum wage of £20 an hour in the UK and that person on minimum wage would still be classed as being in poverty but they wouldn't be poor would they?

think you need to read up on what poverty is

[the_bloke 17]

think you need to read up on what poverty is

 

I know what relative poverty is thanks. It's also what people use when they talk about people in the UK living in poverty.

 

'Relative poverty measures are used as official poverty rates by the European Union, UNICEF, and the OEDC. The main poverty line used in the OECD and the European Union is based on "economic distance", a level of income set at 60% of the median household income.'

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poverty#Relative_poverty

 

There is always someone who earns less than the median household income, so there is always someone in poverty. Maybe you need to look it up a bit more?

[Calahonda 11]

Prior to the snap election Theresa May announced the abolition of the ‘winter fuel allowance’, to ‘higher earners’, to my recollection she never said ‘high rate taxpayers’. Labour pounced on this and somehow the phrase ‘fuel poverty’ was used prolifically, May retired to her burrow, and allowed Labour to convince everyone and sundry that the evil Tories were about to plunge little old ladies into hypothermia hell.

 

What with this and the promise of abolishing tuition fees, when they hadn’t got a cat in hell’s chance of being in a position to do so, Labour won votes from both the young and the old, Corbyn’s political advisers were streets ahead of May’s.

[El Cid 221]

I stopped reading that link when it said 'a million children in poverty will miss out on a free school meal'

 

 

That is up to you, I prefer to be better informed.

[Jeffrey Shaw 90]

There is always someone who earns less than the median household income, so there is always someone in poverty. Maybe you need to look it up a bit more?

Yet didn't one Labour politician promise to raise everyone's level to the average?

(I guess that he failed Arithmetic at school)

[convert 10]

You are right to be sceptical, but fewer children will be getting free school meals.

 

1.1 million children will lose out on free school meals compared to if Universal Credit completes its roll-out under existing legislation.

 

https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/sites/default/files/uc-fsm-tcs-consultation-response-9-jan-2018-final.pdf

 

The Government is setting a new £7,400 annual income threshold for free school meals in England under Universal Credit, to take effect from 1 April 2018.

 

One area of Britain which seems to be protected from free school meal cuts is Northern Ireland, where the Government has just taken direct control of budgets and where the same threshold for eligibility will be nearly double the rest of the country, at £14,000.

 

Is this only for new claimants of Universal Credit, or will it apply to those already receiving it?

 

Will any child currently entitled to a free school meal have that entitlement removed?

[Robin-H 11]

Is this only for new claimants of Universal Credit, or will it apply to those already receiving it?

 

Will any child currently entitled to a free school meal have that entitlement removed?

 

Taken from an earlier comment (not mine).

 

"This is not a case of the government taking free school meals from a million children who are currently receiving them. It’s about comparing two future, hypothetical scenarios, one of which is more generous than the other.

 

The Department of Education has made clear that no one who currently gets free school meals as part of the early rollout of Universal Credit will lose their entitlement once the rollout is complete. The people who will be subject to the means test are future Universal Credit claimants."

[the_bloke 17]

Yet didn't one Labour politician promise to raise everyone's level to the average?

(I guess that he failed Arithmetic at school)

 

I really hope no one ever said that

[convert 10]

Taken from an earlier comment (not mine).

 

"This is not a case of the government taking free school meals from a million children who are currently receiving them. It’s about comparing two future, hypothetical scenarios, one of which is more generous than the other.

 

The Department of Education has made clear that no one who currently gets free school meals as part of the early rollout of Universal Credit will lose their entitlement once the rollout is complete. The people who will be subject to the means test are future Universal Credit claimants."

 

Cheers, I know, I was the one who quoted it. I just wanted to see if El Cid would admit that.

[truman 10]

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Edited March 18, 2018 by truman