THE opposition leader of Thurrock Council has called on the authority to fund free meals for children in need in the borough.

And Labour group leader Cllr John Kent has also spoken of his disappointment after the borough's two Conservative MPs voted in the House of Commons against a plan to extend free school meals.

Cllr Kent said: "This week's vote in the House of Commons was about our values as a country and whether the government, in the middle of this crisis, was prepared to help already struggling families and prevent children going hungry.

"Thurrock's Conservative MPs had an opportunity to make it clear that they supported local families worrying about how they will put food on the table in the weeks ahead, but they blew it.

"While Thurrock's Tory MPs readily turned a blind eye to thousands of local families facing a bleak winter of real hardship, we should not.

"No child here should be waking up hungry and having to face the day worrying where food might be coming from.

"I'm calling on Thurrock Council to come together to ensure funding is available to guarantee the 4,512 Thurrock children receiving free school meals in term-time don't go hungry during the holidays and fund the provision of free school meals during school holidays until Easter next year starting with the October half term next week.

"This is the right thing to do is these extraordinary times and I'll be asking the Council to step up to provide this vital support to Thurrock's children."