Khan Commits to Free School Meals Policy Throughout Mayoral Term

London’s Mayor has affirmed that his initiative providing free lunches to all pupils in state primary schools across London will persist, even as questions regarding its financial sustainability arise. An independent report recently lauded the free school meal program for delivering “significant benefits” to the children, parents, and educational institutions within the capital. However, the London Assembly’s budget committee was informed that funding for the upcoming year of the scheme had not yet been secured. Speaking to BBC London, Sadiq Khan stated: “As long as I am mayor of this great city I will make sure we carry on with this fantastic policy.” In its inaugural year, the program supplied meals to 287,000 children, incurring expenses of £135m. Now in its second year, the cost has increased to £140m. The policy’s financial planning is presently conducted annually. The mayor commented: “We will be publishing our budget in due course and setting out confirmation that this policy will carry on next year.” He further pledged: “My promise to Londoners is for as long as I am mayor, children going to state primary schools will receive this offer of a universal free school meal.” Mr. Khan secured re-election in May, and his current third term is scheduled to conclude in May 2028. Addressing the London Assembly’s budget committee, Richard Watts, the mayor’s deputy chief of staff, affirmed that “the scheme has been enormously successful” and that “all the benefits that we hoped we would see based on previous evidence we are now seeing city wide”. Nevertheless, he acknowledged that funding for the scheme’s next year had not yet been secured. Mr. Watts elaborated: “The whole of the mayor’s budget is £130m, we think free school meals will cost £140m next year so even if we canned everything else that we did, universal free school meals will never be met from the GLA (Greater London Authority) mayor budget.” He concluded: “Therefore we will announce that funding in the group budget papers in due course.” The scheme was initiated by Mr. Khan in 2023 as a temporary, one-year emergency intervention aimed at assisting families with the cost of living, financed by business rate receipts that exceeded expectations. In January of the current year, he declared its extension for an additional 12 months, encompassing the 2024-25 academic year. This extension was also primarily funded by business rate receipts, which were described as “more buoyant than we expected”. The committee was informed that the GLA and the mayor must await the government’s multi-year local government funding plans, expected next year, before finalizing budgets for the mayor’s manifesto commitments. David Bellamy, the mayor’s chief of staff, conveyed to the assembly’s budget committee that the free school meals program was “not something substantively that the GLA mayoral budget has the resources to do, so that is something we will be dealing with in the group budget from the total income sources available to the mayor – we will set that out in the draft budget in January”. Research released by Impact on Urban Health, an entity within the Guy’s & St Thomas’ Foundation, indicated that “parents, whatever their household income, welcomed the policy and wanted it to continue”, explaining that “they felt it countered the effects of the rising cost of living and, in many cases, had a positive impact on family life”. The report also determined that the scheme was “valued highly by those working in schools”, with senior leaders noting it had “helped to address the problems of hidden hunger and food insecurity”. Data gathered by City Hall revealed that, within a sample of 259 schools—representing 13% of London primary schools—the program’s average participation rate stood at 89.1% of children throughout the 2023-2024 academic year. The research further states: “We found the policy had greater benefits for families who were living in poverty or living on low incomes… but more affluent families were also strongly in favour of the policy, as they felt it acted as a leveller at school”. It additionally notes: “School food costs are just one of many costs families face, including increased utilities and housing costs. Families have also noticed other school-related costs continuing to rise. This has diluted the financial effects of the policy for some families.” Regarding the policy’s influence on pupils’ school performance, the report indicates that it “appears to be supporting calmer behaviour in the classroom, with school staff reporting afternoon lessons running more smoothly when children have had a hot, healthy meal”.