Stirling MSP Bruce Crawford and Stirling East Councillor Alison Laurie have welcomed the announcement from the Scottish Government to extend free school meals into the summer.
Stirling Council will receive a share of an additional £27.6 million to help provide school meals and other provisions for children from low income families.
The number of children requiring free school meals across Scotland has risen by 53,000 since the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis.
Commenting, Bruce Crawford MSP said:
“For many families, this will be welcome news. This crisis has already put people into deeper hardship, and that is evident purely by the increased number of children across the country who are in need of the free school meal entitlement.
“Ensuring that families are supported in this way is vital, and I am pleased that the Scottish Government has committed this funding to help children and young people in the area.”
Councillor Alison Laurie, the SNP’s finance spokesperson on Stirling Council, said:
“Securing regular meals for school children is an important part of their development, and some families are really struggling right now under the added pressures that this crisis has brought. Stirling Council have helped to provide school lunches to children from low-income households during the summer over the past couple of years.
“Once we have further details on this funding, the Council will be able to provide further information about how this service will be provided.”
Notes:
Scottish Government press release:
