Parents in some of Scotland’s poorest communities are being pursued by debt collectors over unpaid bills for their children’s school meals.
Our revelations have sparked fury from anti-poverty campaigners and MSPs and one has demanded First Minister Humza Yousaf order an immediate end to the use of Sheriff’s Officers and hold an emergency cabinet meeting to thrash out a new policy. The scandal at Renfrewshire Council was unearthed in response to a Freedom of Information request which named Glasgow based Sheriff Officer firm Walker Love as the firm it uses.
“Ending child hunger and binning the stigma associated with means tested free school meals must be a genuine priority for the SNP-Scottish Green government. “Research undertaken by my office has exposed the consequences of SNP broken promises and complacency, and it’s children who are paying the price.
The council insisted it was working to identify low income families struggling financially in order to offer increased support and claimed 400 households were recently identified as needing extra help. While many of Scotland’s councils claimed not to hold information on school meal debt levels and actions to pursue parents, Dundee City Council admitted to having sent out 15669 letters in 2022/23.
The cash was given to several councils to help them clear the debt with Aberdeen City Council confirming it was one of the recipients.