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Labour hit back over “sandwich tax” claim

News | | Published: 10:50, Saturday February 13th, 2016.

The Labour group on Caerphilly County Borough Council has said parents will not be charged for their children to take sandwiches into schools.

Yesterday, Plaid Cymru revealed details of a council report outlining budget proposals to charge each primary school in the borough approximately £2,200 to cover the cost of catering staff clearing up after pupils who take sandwiches.

Plaid Cymru South Wales East AM Lindsay Whittle, who is also a councillor and a former council leader, claimed the cost could be passed on to parents.

This has been vehemently denied by the Labour group that rules Caerphilly County Borough.

Council Leader Cllr Keith Reynolds said: “This latest Nationalist claim is a deliberate misrepresentation of the facts. There is no proposal from Caerphilly Council to charge parents for their children to eat sandwiches for lunch at Caerphilly’s schools.

“In fact, at a time of ever-deeper Tory Westminster cuts to councils’ budgets, our Labour-led council is set to invest an extra £1.9 million in our county borough’s schools.”

Cllr Rhianon Passmore, Labour’s Cabinet Member for Education and Assembly candidate for Islwyn, also said there was no proposal to charge pupils to eat sandwiches in schools.

She said: “This nonsense is disingenuous and misleading at best. Sadly such claims will undoubtedly cause extra worry and stress for hard-pressed parents and their children. This is wrong.”

“It is concerning that a Regional list Assembly member has decided to make such futile claims at this time off the back of our own school children.”

8 thoughts on “Labour hit back over “sandwich tax” claim”

  1. Triban-Wales says:
    Saturday, February 13, 2016 at 12:06

    The Welsh Nationalist Group on Caerphilly Council are really really desperate to scaremonger, and in so doing, get their FACTS so far of beam that their actions are breathtaking and simply UNTRUE.

    As a ratepayer in the Caerphilly Borough Council area, I DEMAND from Assembly Member and Councillor, Lindsay Whittle, or his boss, Colin Mann, leader of the Welsh Nationalists on the Council, a RETRACTION , a CLARIFICATION, , of where it says in the Officers report that Parents will be charged for providing sandwiches for their children, and a FULL EXPLINATION of where his FACTS come from, I am assuming of course his statments and comments are based on fact and not some second rate
    distorted, and desperate attempt to misinterpret facts and create fear in hard working parents minds that they will have to make a financial contribution, as parents of children eating sandwiches in schools, and, that that `notion` is contained in the report which this article is all about.

    This misinformation is beneath contempt, and is unworthy of a respected and honourable ASSEMBLY MEMBER who should always get his FACTS right before making such distorted comments.

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    1. Mr Oracle says:
      Sunday, February 14, 2016 at 17:32

      How is the crevasse that has opened up of Trident looking from Labour HQ over there?

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  2. Cllr Richard Williams says:
    Saturday, February 13, 2016 at 12:08

    Sounds as if this idea is council officer generated rather than emanating from the elected council. Happens all too often these days; is there no scrutiny of what officers dream up?

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  3. Annette says:
    Saturday, February 13, 2016 at 14:06

    There is NO proposal to charge parents or pupils for Sandwiches!
    There is NO proposal to cut Sanwich places!
    There is NO Sandwich Tax

    But there is an Assembly election coming up – and blatant story telling to get quick headlines! Worse though – off the back of our school pupils and worrying hard pressed parents needlessly Shame on you Mr Whittle!

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    1. Mr Oracle says:
      Sunday, February 14, 2016 at 17:30

      Oh, I suppose charging the school for something whilst increasing their budget is logical. Will you please exchange a £10 note in my wallet for an identical £10 note in your purse?

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  4. Triban-Wales says:
    Sunday, February 14, 2016 at 12:18

    The Labour group on Caerphilly County Borough Council has said parents
    will not be charged for their children to take sandwiches into schools. END OF

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    1. Mr Oracle says:
      Sunday, February 14, 2016 at 17:29

      The policy is still terrible. Let us explore two possible cases:

      Case 1: the school pays the charge to the council. The charge is not passed on to the parents. The school’s funding is cut because it needs to pay this charge.

      Case 2: the school cannot afford to pay the charge because an unusually high number of pupils take in their own lunch. I doubt the council will be happy with the school not paying.

      At the same time, education funding is apparently going to increase. I tell you what, I will pay you £1000 on Wednesday, if you pay me £1000 Wednesday. We can do a straight switch. Up for it?

      See, it is ridiculous. The council is handing schools more funding but removing that in the form of this charge. Only Labour could think of something so illogical that it makes people around the country laugh – even Guardian readers.

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      1. Triban-Wales says:
        Sunday, February 14, 2016 at 19:41

        This is what you get when you allow officers to sit down at their desks, with very little else to do, than to brainstorm between crosswords and come up with something in order to justify they`er existance, it DOES NOT MEAN THE THE LABOUR ASMINISTRATION INTEND TO DO ANYTHING AT ALL WITH IT, in fact they have declared they do not.

        And you know better then anyone that politicians have been paying Peter to rob Paul for ever.

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