Filling the Gap Programme

[Inspector Knacker]

Some very bad losers on here.

Again, you make the simplistic assumption that every one on here is anti Labour.  it's not about the party, work it out, it's not really difficult.

[DRiddle]

It's a really good point that no one, as far as i'm aware, has actually criticised the scheme in terms the reasoning behind it. Well, the reasoning which has been put forward from the council.

I've said on here many times about the 'list of children' this scheme needs to help being readily available, should anyone actually bother to GENUINELY want to help the 'right' children.

Free school meal lists, pupil premium lists, children who live in households recieving the maxmimum council tax subsidy etc. etc. The council already has the information at their finger tips to know very specifically who the children are in the town who are most at risk of not being properly fed in a holiday period. They know the names, addresses, dates of birth of these children, they know the schools they attend and in serious cases of potential neglect (which let's not forget is what NOT feeding your child boils down to) they know a hell of a lot more about the children in question via social services.

Mike, (seems like we have your attention) you must be able to see the key point of the criticism being expressed here on this forum? No one on here is against the scheme if it were administered properly and was genuinely getting food into the mouths of the children most at risk.

For what it's worth i think the scheme had the potential to be one of the best things put forward by the local Labour group.

But.... like a lot of things with Cranney and other's finger prints all over it, as soon as the scheme was muted (and certainly as soon as it was funded), there was such a mad rush the divide the money across the more 'favoured organsiations', the actual core purpose of the scheme was lost along the way.

It saddens me that an elected MP (or anyone else) cannot recognise the point being made here. Step back for a minute, take off the 'Labour/union tinted glasses' and ask yourself one question.

Are you absolutely 100% sure that the 40 odd thousand pound is feeding the children most at risk of neglect, and i'll say again, that's what not feeding your child properly is, it's neglect?

Because of the way the scheme has been grubbily hacked together, the only true answer to that question is.... "No, i cant be sure of that".

And that Mr Hill, is the point which has been made on this forum.

[fred c]

Good points well made David..... Children's Services / Social Services should be the drivers of this scheme, not councillors having a chat about how best to get their wives, husbands, aunties, uncles and besties organisations a slice of the £42k pie.

Surely it shouldn't be beyond the organisational capacity of council officers to set up a 'feed the kids' facility, they could source a local catering business to provide the meals, and use council community centres for the venues.......... that way, we could be sure that the Scheme would provide nutritious, healthy food at a reasonable cost to the kids and it would also ensure that public money was fully accountable.

The current set up depends on volunteers to a large extent and as laudable as their efforts are they are often used as an excuse to provide cheap options for councils..... Feeding hungry kids shouldn't depend on the good will of the volunteers, it should be a managed and accountable system like school dinners...... if it is more expensive because of that........ so be it.