A council is bringing forward plans to ensure no child goes hungry over the Christmas holidays.

Hertsmere Borough Council is drawing up an initiative which will provide free hot meals to any child in need in the borough – as many as 1,800.

It comes after the government blocked a motion by the Labour party last month to extend free school meals during the holidays until Easter.

The council is planning on working with the GMSP Foundation – an organisation which aims to improve the lives of vulnerable communities.

Over half-term, the GMSP Foundation cooked hundreds of meals from its kitchen in Watford and distributed the meals to schools across London.

The zero waste and self-sustaining kitchen model was originally created by Akshaya Patra in India, providing nutritious lunches from 52 kitchens to more than 1.8 million children in over 19,000 state-run schools every school day.

Now, the plan is to extend the project into Hertsmere.

Borehamwood Times:

Cllr Bright visits the new state-of-the-art kitchens in Watford

Cllr Morris Bright, Conservative leader of Hertsmere Borough Council, said: "While the debate around free school meals for children outside of term time continues, here in Hertsmere we are seeking to act quickly to ensure that planning and preparations get under way now so that our children in need and their families do not have to worry about getting a hot meal during the Christmas holidays.

"I am extremely grateful to the GMSP foundation for their very generous offers of support in looking after Hertsmere’s children. Together we really can make a difference this Christmas."

Ramesh Sachdev, co-founder of the GMSP Foundation, said: "I have lived with my family in Hertsmere for more than 40 years. I am honoured to have been able to help fund supported food programmes. I also want to give back to the area that has given so much to me and my family."

Borehamwood Times:

Mr Sachdev with Cllr Bright

If the initiative is approved by the council’s Executive committee on November 11, the plan is for the council to organise the collection of the meals and ensure their delivery to set locations across the borough for parents and carers to receive and collect - this collection and delivery would be funded by the council.

The initiative has been welcomed by the Hertsmere Labour party, who together with the Hertsmere Liberal Democrats, had called for the Tories to provide funding for school meals for eligible children over half-term.

In light of the council’s plans for Christmas, Labour councillor Christian Gray said: "I welcome news of the initiative to feed the 1,800 poorest kids in Hertsmere during the Christmas holiday this year.

"If the scheme is as advertised it will have my full support. We must now ensure that the scheme is extended to the other holidays between now and Easter, and that these meals will be provided every day the children are off, or that our borough steps up to fill in that gap."