Free school meals - not if your skint!

[shirlthegirl43]

Okay, I don't do this often, but I need to rant!

Younger son used to get free school meals. We qualified for Children's Tax Credit and this helped us a lot. Last year, Madmax gave up working away and took a job on minimum wage, this means we now get Working Tax Credit as well as the above one. We got a letter from the council a while back saying we no longer qualified for the free school meals as we were paid two types of Tax credit.

A few weeks ago my very dim brain (result of my illness) suddenly realised that we are far more broke than we were before so why on earth don't we qualify for free meals for the lad. I phoned the council to be told it is a Government ruling. I explained that you can have a fairly high income and still get an element of Child Tax Credit - allowing you to have free meals - while Working Tax Credit is only paid if you are really on a low wage. Lady said sorry, nothing she can do.

I called Customs and Excise to find out why this should be and again the nice lady apologised when she realised what I was getting at but couldn't help in any way. Madmax and I cannot afford to pay our Council Tax (same cost as younger son's grub bill) but could if we had the free meals again. Barmy idea taking away free meals for the most skint.

By heck the system sucks!!!

Roll on my salad leaves growing so he can take home grown egg salad to school for dinner every day!

[shirlthegirl43]

Must have been cross typing that - I even have typos in it!

Thanks for giving me space to vent

[SlugLobber]

Why am I not surprised?!? All I can say is I didn't vote for them!

[Polly Fouracre]

Shirl, I was a school dinner lady for a year and I can honestly say that a child is better nourished by a cheese sandwich and a banana than by the "nourishing" c##p that was served up.
Even after Jamie Oliver's campaign meals were governed by cost (profit) rather than what was best for the children.

[Nicos]

Oh Shirl- how frustrating....it's certainly not fair is it?

Is it worth reviewing what you are entitled to- or is their decision final??

Either way- you've still got yr hubby under your feet,snoring,making a mess in the bathroom and kitchen and creating a pile of washing and ironing....and I bet you wouldn't want it any other way

[jackie j]

Its acrazy world we live in. When I was on income support a few years ago I could claim £28 every two years for school uniform for the boys at senior school but not the ones at primary school. Where does £28 go and dont children grow in two years??? I was allowed to earn £15 a week but after that pound for pound anything over was taken off my benefits.
I hope something will be sorted for you but I doubt it.

[shirlthegirl43]

Oh Shirl- how frustrating....it's certainly not fair is it?

Is it worth reviewing what you are entitled to- or is their decision final??

Either way- you've still got yr hubby under your feet,snoring,making a mess in the bathroom and kitchen and creating a pile of washing and ironing....and I bet you wouldn't want it any other way

Not much point. Just waiting for better weather and he can take sandwiches - mind they cost a fortune too!

Love having Madmax home - he doesn't make a mess he does the housework (no he is not available for loan)

[Alice]

Sorry Shirl, but it seems if you get working tax credit you can't get free school meals.
You can check on the link.
Nutrition and school lunches : Directgov - Parents

[shirlthegirl43]

Sorry Shirl, but it seems if you get working tax credit you can't get free school meals.
You can check on the link.
Nutrition and school lunches : Directgov - Parents

Found that already Alice, thanks though. I feel a letter to my local MP coming on - people who are on low enough wages to be awarded working tax credit don't get topped up to what you can earn and still get Children's tax credit - therefore more skint peeps are missing out on free school meals which can be awarded to people with more income (hope that makes sense)

[Comfreyfan]

Shirl, that is absolutely pants and no wonder you wanted to rant - feel free. The system never seems to work properly for the people who reallly need the help.

[allotmentlady]

is it possible for him to come home for dinner? This government is ludicrous....god help us all. Yet, whilst we are al skint, Gordon Brown sits down to drink £400 bottles of champagne with fancy food...........how the hell did he become Farce Minister again?

[shirlthegirl43]

I have actually decided I am going to do something about this. I found an article online which states you can claim Child Tax credit even if your income is over £50k per year (in some cases). Now explain to me how those people can get free school meals yet those on minimum wage who need Working Tax credit to top up the minimum wage to almost a living wage are supposed to pay for their children's meals?

[shirlthegirl43]

is it possible for him to come home for dinner? This government is ludicrous....god help us all. Yet, whilst we are al skint, Gordon Brown sits down to drink £400 bottles of champagne with fancy food...........how the hell did he become Farce Minister again?

He goes to a school 7 miles away and travels by bus.

He has quite definate taste when it comes to butties and a cheese buttie and banana would not satisfy his growing requirements. It needs to be 4 slices of bread with ham and pickle and a yoghurt and crisps and piece of fruit!!!

[Alice]

You're right Shirl. The benefit system is a mine of inconsistency. I worked for the CAB and really struggled with it. If you have the time and energy get started on that campaign. What they really need to do is scrap the lot and start again with something logical.
I would suggest they start by saying people in employment should not be on any benefits. Employers should be made to pay a living wage- which the minimum wage is not.

[percy charlie]

this is about as good as when they sorted out the maintaince for the children from hubbys previous marriage,
you only get child tax credit for having a child we have one and one on the way, and wouldnt get it without having the child, so we get it for our child, his ex gets child tax credit for the children they had together, when deciding his maintance payment they say our child tax credit is counted as income so they take 20% his wage and 20% of our child tax credit to give to her, but her child tax credit doesnt count, yet our child tax credit is for our child, in my eyes as she gets her own child tax credit so they get their own plus a chunk of ours, i dont object to the wage, but i think unfair for the child tax credit being included too, but apparently working tax credit they cant touch most of it but hubby just earns a little too much to qualify for it and we dont qualify for the free school meals either, and if thats not bad enough when i have our other child they want 20% of that ones child tax credit too! so i know how you feel about the fairness of our goverment.