A COMMUNITY group says it will have to find a way to feed up to 600 children next week, after Cumbria’s MPs voted not to provide free school meals during the holidays.

Carlisle’s MP John Stevenson and his Conservative colleagues Trudy Harrison and Mark Jenkinson were among 322 politicians who did not support footballer Marcus Rashford’s bid for the meals scheme to be extended out of term time.

Mr Stevenson said the Government has already provided a substantial amount of support and that it was the “responsibility of parents to ensure their children were looked after”.

Lisa Brown, of Carlisle Community Help’s Affordable Food Hub, was shocked that the Government was able to find £500m for the Eat Out to Help Out scheme but couldn’t find £20m to give children free school meals until Easter 2021.

“I think it’s an absolute outrage,” she said. “I don’t see why they have done it. As soon as the vote happened I thought ‘what are we going to do?’.”

In light of the Commons vote, the food hub is restarting its lunch scheme next week to plug the gap and support low-income families.

Across England, about 1.4m children had the right to claim. But it is estimated nearly 1m additional children have recently been registered, as Covid-19 drives more families into poverty.

Ms Brown said there could be up to 600 children in the Carlisle area receiving a lunch parcel during half term - most of those they supported during the summer - and she said they will have to find a way to make it happen.

She is urging local people to make donations and asking for extra volunteers who can help out. The group is also trying to get in touch with schools and contacts who made referrals in the summer for those who didn’t get free school meal vouchers but needed help.

They are also looking to Christmas and what they will do to support local families.

“People are struggling. They are struggling with every part of their lives. We are not living in normal times,” she said.

“I feel kids have been let down. It’s the same all the time. It’s the people at the bottom of the pile who get kicked hardest when things like this happen.”

Carlisle’s MP highlighted that the Government has provided £53 billion worth of income protection through the furlough scheme and the job retention scheme and also allocated £9.3bn to the welfare budget.

“There is already a substantial amount of support given to families but the real way of getting people out of poverty is employment and creating the jobs that will take people out of poverty.

“On the specific issue about free school meals during holiday times, it has never been the normal practice,” he said.

“At the end of the day we all accept that it is actually the responsibility of parents to ensure that their children are looked after.”

He said the additional £9.3bn allocated to the welfare system will support those struggling.

“It is huge sums of money that the Government is putting in place to help preserve people’s employment and, where they’ve lost their jobs, to help their welfare,” Mr Stevenson added.

“We have to recognise that we have got to make sure the economy works so that we can make the provision we want to have.”

Barrow MP Simon Fell also voted against the motion put forward by Labour, while Dr Neil Hudson, Conservative for Penrith and the Border, did not vote.

"The opposition motion on extending school meals in the holidays during this school year is one that I support in its intention," said Dr Hudson. "I have made representations to Government that they should be considering progressing with this policy idea but the Government has said it prefers to support these much-in-need families via other mechanisms."

Tim Farron, MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, was the only Cumbrian politician who agree that free school meals should be extended during the holidays.

Anyone who can help the Affordable Food Hub can take donations to the hub at Kingmoor Park or email info@carlislecommunityhelp.co.uk to volunteer next week.