Ahead of the local elections on 6 May 2021, the Liberal Democrats have said they will work to reduce child poverty in Milton Keynes.

In their local election manifesto, the Group have said that they will:

• Work to progress the recommendations of the Child Poverty Commission.
• Promote the take up of free school meals and support lunch provision during the school holidays, including the use of homework plus groups.
• Lobby our MPs to fight for permanent changes to the free school meals system.
• Invest in early parenting.
• Fight in-work poverty by remaining committed to the real Living Wage and affordable childcare.
• Encourage lifelong learning for residents who want more qualifications.
• Support community initiatives that work to tackle poverty and help the vulnerable.

The promises come after the Child Poverty Commission found that over 22,000 children are in poverty in our city after housing costs are considered.

Liberal Democrat Councillor Jane Carr said: “We cannot and will not ignore the fact that under a Conservative government, there are thousands of children in our city living in poverty. We must not forget that our Conservative MPs voted against an extension to free school meals back in October 2020.”

“The Liberal Democrats have been listening to concerns about child poverty and have been consistently pushing the Labour-run Council on this. We’ve had some great successes, including setting up the Child Poverty Commission and guaranteeing £100,000 in the 2021/22 budget to tackle child poverty.”

The Liberal Democrat Children & Families Spokesperson concluded: “However, it needs to be an absolute, continuous priority for the Council. If the Liberal Democrats win enough seats in May, I can guarantee it will be, because we are the Group that truly care about the children of Milton Keynes. We will deliver a Council that listens, cares and works for its most vulnerable residents.”