Read about the fight for free school meals for all, why parents are stealing milk to feed their babies, how big pay rises for the top earners are making the cost of living crisis worse, and meet the woman with a learning disability who is proving the world wrong.
Good morning. It’s Isabella, back in your inbox with your weekly Survival Guide. This newsletter is here to update and guide you through the cost of living crisis as best we can, and it’s also a chance to look at opportunities for change.
Britain is facing a child hunger epidemic, with millions of kids living in poverty. Nearly half of all households struggling to feed themselves are families with children under the age of 16, according to a new and harrowing report from the Trussell Trust.
This is having a significant impact on children’s development, with new research showing that children across Britain are suffering worsening levels of tooth decay, anxiety and stunted growth. Experts say it is down to a poor national diet and cuts to the NHS.
So what’s the solution? Hundreds of organisations, politicians and celebrities including Gary Lineker are backing a National Education Union campaign to give free school meals to every child in primary school.
They say it will go a long way towards ending child hunger, removing the stigma around free school meals and boosting the economy by billions in the long term.
Wales and Scotland have already committed to offering free school meals to all primary school children, and all kids at primary school in London will get lunches next academic year. This means, at the moment, it’s a postcode lottery as to whether a child gets free lunch and their life chances improve with it.
There are reservations though, perhaps understandably. It’s estimated to cost the country about £1 billion in the long term, enough to give every teacher a pay rise of roughly £2,000. But research shows that for every £1 invested in free school meals, £1.38 would be returned over the next 20 years across social, health and educational areas. That means billions generated for the economy.
A less costly solution would be to expand the scheme to every child living in poverty, of which there are around 800,000 who are not eligible for free school meals. That’s because the eligibility criteria is so strict: parents in England have to be earning less than £7,400 a year (before tax and after universal credit) between them before their child gets a free lunch.
But beyond being so restrictive, the means-tested system does not guarantee children won’t fall through the cracks. A family might be coping one month but struggling the next. Rent could go up, they could lose an income or face family illness. Free school meals would alleviate a small worry while families struggle through uncertain times.
Free school meals aren’t just important for financial reasons. Anything could be going on at home which means a parent does not have the capacity to make their child lunch, or forgets to top up the money for their school dinners, often without a teacher’s knowledge.
There is the stigma of the means-tested system too, with children made to feel different from their peers. Government statistics have shown pupils on free school meals earn less than half of their peers and that gap widens over time. Free school meals for all would help ensure all children are treated equally.
Here’s everything else that should be on your radar this week…
Need to know basis
🍼 Parents steal milk. People are stealing formula milk to feed their babies in the cost of living crisis. Sarah Woolley writes in Novara Mediathat it is time for the return of national milk. It’s an interesting history on why the government stopped giving free milk to kids in the ’70s and the current campaign to bring it back. Currently, under fives get milk if they're at nursery
⚠️ State of hunger. The Trussell Trust’s new report reveals one in seven people face hunger across the UK, with marginalised groups disproportionately at risk. The Trust is campaigning for a social security system which provides protection and the dignity for people to cover their own essentials, such as food and bills.
🍽️ Broken plate. It comes as the Food Foundation releases its latest report into the food system in the UK, finding that the most deprived fifth of the population would need to spend half of their disposable income on food to afford the government’s recommended healthy diet. It calls for policymakers to take action to improve access to affordable, healthy food.
🛒 Community grocers. There are a growing number of “community grocers” across the country feeding low-income families in their local area. My colleague Brontë Schiltz headed to Mustard Tree’s Food Club in Manchester to hear about its mission to combat poverty and end homelessness, while facing unprecedented demand.
🍞Shop till it drops. The British Retail Consortium said shop price inflation is easing, but it warned food prices are continuing to rise at near record rates. The retail industry is facing growing pressure to take action to help people through the cost of living crisis, as food prices are taking a toll on the nation’s mental health.
🚫 You’re fined! HMRC has fined more than 180,000 low earners for not filing a tax return last year, even though they earned so little that they didn’t owe any tax in the first place. Some people were hit with a fine of thousands of pounds which will take them years to pay back. The maths doesn’t seem to add up…
⚖️ Pay scales. Pay rises for the top earners is a key driver of high inflation and interest rates, according to official data. The top 10% have won generous wage increases, while the rest of the working population is suffering a decline in wage growth. My colleague Greg asked economists to explain whether giving workers a pay rise makes inflation worse.
🪧Sleeping rough. The number of people sleeping rough in London has surged by more than a fifth in just a year as the deadline for the government’s promise to end rough sleeping moves closer. Inflation, rising rents and a lack of good, affordable homes are forcing people into desperate situations. Charities want urgent action from the government.
📉 Housing crash. With rising interest rates and falling house prices, some experts are warning of an impending housing crash. My colleague Liam reports on what that means and whether it’s an inevitability. And here’s what you need to know about whether rents in the UK will keep rising in the cost of living crisis.
🏠 Homes for the few. People receiving housing benefit or universal credit can afford just one in 20 private rental homes, reports Sophie Huskisson in The Mirror. The number has plummeted from 20% to just 5% since the freeze on housing benefit, which is the lowest level on record and further evidence that there are not enough affordable homes or support for low earners.
👑 Will’s big plan. Prince William has unveiled his big plan to end homelessness across the UK with the launch of his Homewards programme. The Big Issue is one of 15 sector partners involved in the project alongside charities Crisis, Centrepoint, Shelter and others. He reunited with vendor Dave Martin, who has given the project his backing.
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On a cheery note
Meet Aisha. She was told that she would never amount to anything by a teacher, and she was picked on by her peers because her learning disability made her different. But Aisha has set out to prove those people wrong, and she wants to inspire other people with a learning disability to achieve their dreams.
She adores her work as a theatre usher at the Young Vic and with radical theatre company Blink Dance Theatre. Just 5% of people with a learning disability are in paid work.
“People like me can get jobs,” Aisha says. “If I can do it, the rest of the world can. It’s just the employers and people in different industries need to be more understanding and give work experience.”
This is a useful little explainer in the BBC on saving money on your food shop. It encourages shoppers to keep track of what they already have in their fridge (and use it up), make better use of your freezer, understand whether packaging will make your food last longer or go off, and make use of the expert knowledge of small, local retailers. Last year, we spoke to chef Tom Kerridge about saving money at the supermarket and together those tips might just save you quite a bit of cash in the long term.
Anyone doing something inspiring in your community or know about a cool initiative getting people through the cost of living crisis? Let me know at isabella.mcrae@bigissue.com
Dates for your diary 📅
29 June. Marxism 2023: A festival of socialist ideas with speakers including Jeremy Corbyn debating the solutions to the biggest issues of today including the cost of living crisis. 12pm, SOAS University of London, 10 Thornhaugh Street, London, WC1H 0XG.
1 July. Building Bridges: connecting stories and championing racial justice. An event coordinated by the Runnymede Trust and LSE, which discusses wealth inequality and the racialised impact of the cost of living crisis. 10am, London School of Economics and Political Science, Houghton Street, London, WC2A 2AE.
3-8 July. Train drivers begin a week-long ban on overtime, which will likely disrupt many services.
5 July. Teachers in England go on strike with the National Education Union (NEU).
7 July. Teachers strike for a second day in England.
11 July. What would a feminist approach to food justice look like? An evening of lively discussion with visiting stalls, films, talks and locally sourced food and drinks. 6pm, Manchester Museum, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL.
13-18 July. Junior doctors start a 120-hour strike.
24 July. Citizens Advice cost of living briefing. 1:30pm, online.
Anything I’ve missed or any events which should be on our radar? Let me know on isabella.mcrae@bigissue.com
Catch up 📺
Pretty Red Dress is an interesting, tender, humorous and at times deeply sad drama about the struggles of a Black British family. Travis (Natey Jones) is let out from prison and back with his family, and his partner (played by Alexandra Burke) does everything she can to keep their family stable while she auditions for the role of her dreams: Tina Turner on the West End.
Travis tries to reintegrate with society and support his family, but temptation takes over and he prefers life on the outskirts. And, as it transpires, he is happiest in his partner’s pretty red dress. It is in cinemas now and well worth a watch.
Sunny side up 🌞
Here’s a strong little pup who is not going to let his teddy down.
