West Norfolk councillor Alexandra Kemp says free school meal announcement is ‘really good news’ for pupils

The Government’s decision to extend free school meals to more children across the country is “really good news” for youngsters in West Norfolk.

The decision was made to extend free school meals to children of all ages whose families claim universal credit from September 2026.

It is thought that at least 100,000 children across the country will benefit from the scheme.

West Norfolk youngsters are set to benefit from the new scheme, which aligns with other parliament policies such as free primary school breakfast clubs and caps on branded school uniform items.

Norfolk County and West Norfolk Councillor Alexandra Kemp expressed her relief that those young children will be getting a free, hot meal each day at school.

She told the Lynn News that she has been campaigning for change on this since 2011.

“I think this is really good news,” she said.

“It is really good to stand up for West Norfolk during the cost of living crisis. It is hard for parents to nutritionally feed their children.”