More than 5,000 children in Congleton are to receive free school dinners.

The Government has announced that half a million more children will receive a Free School Meal from September 2026.

MP for Congleton, Sarah Russell, confirmed that locally, this will support at least 5,000 children in the constituency.

She said: "Over 5,000 children across the Congleton constituency will benefit from free school meals after Labour's announcement this week, lifting 100,000 out of poverty across the country."

From the start of the 2026 school year, every pupil whose household is on Universal Credit will have a new entitlement to free school meals.

This will put £500 back into parents' pockets each year and help to lift 100,00 children across the country completely out of poverty.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: "Working parents across the country are working tirelessly to provide for their families but are being held back by cost-of-living pressures.

"My government is taking action to ease those pressures.

"Feeding more children every day, for free, is one of the biggest interventions we can make to put more money in parents’ pockets, tackle the stain of poverty, and set children up to learn.

"This expansion is a truly historic moment for our country, helping families who need it most and delivering our Plan for Change to give every child, no matter their background, the same chance to succeed."

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson added: "It is the moral mission of this government to tackle the stain of child poverty, and today this government takes a giant step towards ending it with targeted support that puts money back in parents’ pockets.

"From free school meals to free breakfast clubs, breaking the cycle of child poverty is at the heart of our Plan for Change to cut the unfair link between background and success.

"We believe that background shouldn’t mean destiny. Today’s historic step will help us to deliver excellence everywhere, for every child and give more young people the chance to get on in life."