WIREDGOV

Free school meals for all children up to the age of seven will give family finances a boost, and is an important step to help ease the cost of living, Citizens Advice has said.

Gillian Guy, CHief Executive of Citizens Advice, said:

"This is really good news for hard-pressed families struggling to make ends meet. Some children depend on school food for their one decent meal of the day so guaranteeing the youngest pupils lunch is extremely valuable.

"Ministers must not rest on their laurels. There is a danger that government's welfare reforms will work against each other and leave some families worse off. Because of unresolved problems some parents with children who get free school meals may be better off working fewer hours under universal credit.

"Today's announcement is a great first step, ministers must now join up the dots across government departments so that this good work isn't undone."

Citizens Advice

Notes to editors

1. The Citizens Advice service comprises a network of local bureaux, all of which are independent charities, the Citizens Advice consumer service and national charity Citizens Advice. Together we help people resolve their money, legal and other problems by providing information and advice and by influencing policymakers. For more see the Citizens Advice website.

2. The advice provided by the Citizens Advice service is free, independent, confidential, and impartial, and available to everyone regardless of race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion, age or nationality.

3. To find your local bureau in England and Wales, visit www.citizensadvice.org.uk. You can also get advice online at www.adviceguide.org.uk

4. You can get consumer advice from the Citizens Advice consumer service on 08454 04 05 06 or 08454 04 05 05 for Welsh language speakers

5. Citizens Advice Bureaux in England and Wales advised 2.1 million clients on 6.6 million problems from April 2012 to March 2013. For full 2012/2013 service statistics see our quarterly publication Advice trends

6. Citizens Advice service staff are supported by more than 22,000 trained volunteers, working at over 3,000 service outlets across England and Wales.