All primary school students in London will receive free school meals during the academic year that starts in September.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the plan will address the cost-of-living crisis in the absence of help from the national government.
City Hall estimates that the plan will benefit ~270,000 children, saving families an average of ~£440 ($530) per child.
- Khan, who received free school meals as a child, said the policy could help "reduce the stigma that can be associated with being singled out as low-income."
- Currently, British households must participate in the universal credit welfare system, which requires that they make less than £7,400 ($8,908) per year after taxes and not including benefits, to be eligible for free school meals.
