Free school meals for all children up to the age of seven will give family finances a boost, and is an important step to help ease the cost of living, Citizens Advice has said.
Gillian Guy, CHief Executive of Citizens Advice, said:
"This is really good news for hard-pressed families struggling to make ends meet. Some children depend on school food for their one decent meal of the day so guaranteeing the youngest pupils lunch is extremely valuable.
"Ministers must not rest on their laurels. There is a danger that government's welfare reforms will work against each other and leave some families worse off. Because of unresolved problems some parents with children who get free school meals may actually be better off out of work under universal credit.
"Today's announcement is a great first step, ministers must now join up the dots across government departments so that this good work isn't undone."
Citizens advice website www.citizensadvice.org.uk
