The City Hall Labour group were accused of “turning their backs on vulnerable Londoners” after voting down attempts to force the Mayor to keep all police station front counters open and provide free school meals outside of term time.
The Liberal Democrat group had laid down a motion to tackle “holiday hunger” by providing free meals to all primary school children during the Christmas, Easter and Summer breaks as well as an amendment to impose a two-year moratorium on planned front counter closures.
Funding from the former would come from £50million in expected savings due to the national government’s expansion of free school meal eligibility to all families on Universal Credit, while the latter would see £14million drawn from reserves while further assessment on each police station is completed.
The 11-strong Labour group on the London Assembly rejected both proposals, meaning the Liberal Democrats were unable to achieve a majority and send the non-binding decision to the Mayor’s Office for a formal response during next week’s budget.
Leader of the London Assembly Liberal Democrat Group, Hina Bokhari OBE AM said: “Child poverty in London is at emergency levels, yet Labour is acting as if holiday hunger is already covered.
“The reality is that children across the capital are still going hungry during school holidays and councils are about to lose a key source of funding that has helped keep families afloat during the holidays. This is not the moment for dangerous complacency.
“If we are serious about tackling child poverty, we must make sure no child goes hungry, in or out of school.”
The Labour group said that the national holiday activities and food (HAF) and City Hall’s Holiday Hope Programme were already helping children outside of term time.
The HAF provides free, healthy meals and enriching activities for eligible children – typically aged 5-16 receiving benefits-related free school meals – during Easter, Summer, and Christmas holidays, while City Hall has pledged £6million for free holiday activities and meals during term breaks.
Responding to the motion, Labour Assembly Member Marina Ahmad said: “The motion does not acknowledge that the Mayor already funds free meals through the Holiday Hope programme.
“The Liberal Democrats have not acknowledged how the Labour Government and Labour Mayor are working to alleviate poverty. Government funding for the HAF programme now has a better multi-year settlement, allowing councils to plan services.
“People know how to spend money on their own families without a council officer getting involved.”
Ms Ahmad said a fresh injection of HAF funding “makes the motion somewhat obsolete.”
Reform UK Assembly Member Alex Wilson, who also voted against the motion, added: “I will not be supporting a motion to nationalise parenthood and take away parental responsibility.”
However, Mr Wilson’s political group did back the Liberal Democrat amendment on keeping police station front counters open.
Mr Wilson said: “While I’m not a natural bedfellow to the Lib Dems, no party has a monopoly on good ideas. The closure of police station front counters is the single issue with which I’ve had most correspondence since being elected and the one I’m most angry about.
“Until a proper consultation and impact assessment takes place, I’m very happy to give that my support.”
Mr Roberts’ amendment condemned the Met Police’s decision to slash the number of physical front counters in police stations across London. His party said a two-year moratorium would allow a full public consultation on the final proposals, an improved Equalities Impact Assessment and more evidence gathering on who uses the front counters.
After the vote, he said: “The Mayor broke his promise of a 24/7 police station in every borough, and today Labour and the Greens voted to let him get away with it. We’ve gone from 32 stations open around the clock to just two. It’s a reckless gamble with public safety, taken without proper evidence or public consultation and it’s extremely reckless.
“For vulnerable Londoners – victims of domestic abuse, sexual violence, those who cannot use digital services – in-person access to police isn’t optional, it’s a lifeline.
“Every party claimed to oppose these closures. Today was the chance to actually stop them. Labour and the Greens chose not to. They’ve contradicted their own position and turned their backs on the needs of the most vulnerable Londoners.”
Labour’s Krupesh Hirani said the group would not be support any measures “which commit to spend that we do not have the final figures on for the budget”.
