A food organisation in Thanet has hit out at a Kent MP after he voted with the government to block a plan to extend free school meals over the holidays.

Sharon Goodyer, who set up Our Kitchen in Margate to help people on the poverty line feed themselves and their children with nutritional meals, branded South Thanet MP Craig Mackinlay 'weak' following his decision.

She said: "I feel absolutely ashamed by that man. He will say they have put enough money into the system for the children to eat well.

"The fact is they haven't. I stand and watch families count their pennies and struggle to feed their children.

"He should have had the moral duty, and the love and care for local children - it should have given him the courage to vote against the government.

"But he was weak, he didn't stand up for the local children."

Last year Mr Mackinlay openly supported the work being done by Our Kitchen in August 2019 stating: "I will be working with Sharon over the months ahead to visit families to discuss their domestic finances and circumstances, so as to really understand the constraints they face."

Prime Minister Boris Johnson awarded Mrs Goodyer a Point of Light award in September for her work in supporting one of the most poverty-stricken districts in the country.

But Mrs Goodyer said awards given to herself and Marcus Rashford are hypocritical following last night's vote block by Tory MPs.

She said: "Marcus Rashford and I were most honoured by this government - he got an MBE and I got a Point of Light award from the Prime Minister

"Marcus deserved that MBE, he represented what we care about in this country.

"How can government award Marcus and I an honour and then behave like this? Absolutely hypocritical."

Since 2018 the community interest company has put on Summer Kitchen sessions to help feed families in between the school terms.

Currently they are helping more than 200 families eat healthily and access good quality cheap food with their food club scheme.

The organisation is not a food bank - families purchase the food - but it offers what Mrs Goodyer refers to as 'targeted support', giving them access to locally-picked fruit and veg and healthy meal ideas.

Much of the produce is picked by 'gleaners' who pick the fruit and veg from farmer's fields that will not be sent to supermarkets and other retailers.

But Mrs Goodyer said they do not have the capacity to help all the families who could end up struggling because of a lack of support from the government.

She said: "We are barely touching the edges of this problem - I can't take on the government's responsibility. They should have not stepped sideways to avoid their responsibility.

"If we can't feed our children very well, what have we come to as a country?"

She added: "This is a horrible, uncertain time for families and children, the children need to know we want to love and care for them and support them."

Despite the uproar, Mr Mackinlay is denying that he voted against school meals being extended during the school holidays.

In an lengthy email he is sending to all who are contacting him on the issue, he wrote: "You suggest that I voted against free school meals. This is untrue.

"The original motion, put by Labour as part of their regular ‘Opposition Day debate’ opportunities, are an entrenched feature of our Parliamentary system and are designed to be purely political and often follow the ‘mother and apple pie’ formula of looking so reasonable that they couldn’t possibly be opposed.

"Such motions, even if carried, have no statutory basis and don’t become new law; it is the role of government to bring to Parliament new law and spending plans which Parliament can then consider soberly.

"Such Opposition day motions are never supported by whichever governing party. This is all part of the weft and weave of our system.

"We can obviously have a debate about the extent to which government should spend across the nation on the essentials of life but we do have an advanced, detailed and comprehensive system of benefits and support even outside of Covid problems.

"Indeed the UK has offered more funding across job and business supporting schemes, to councils, the health service and other agencies as well as additional support to those on benefits than any other advanced nation across this crisis."

The South Thanet MP caught flack on Twitter last night after the vote had taken place, tweeting an image emblazoned with 'We're supporting pupils in need'.

Steph Dickinson, who runs Pie Factory Music, a youth organisation in Ramsgate, tweeted to the MP: "This is disgusting. You voted against extending free school meals.

"You represent people who are living in some of the most deprived areas in the country. Selfish, calculated and a gross misuse of your power and responsibility."

Now Mr Mackinlay has been challenged by a councillor to live on Universal Credit for month, so he can begin to understand what families on the poverty line are having to experience every day.

In her open letter to the MP, Thanet councillor Karen Constantine (Lab) wrote: "Are you ‘up’ for a challenge? There are two pandemics in your South Thanet constituency. Covid and child poverty. Which is a staggering 37% across Thanet, and 50% in some wards such as Newington.

"As the Covid crisis deepens and unemployment continues to rise, even more people will be forced onto Universal Credit, and the staggering rate of child poverty will continue to climb in South Thanet. Putting even more local children at risk of hunger!

"I was so disappointed that you voted against the Marcus Rashford campaign, refusing to implement the proposal to prevent 1.4 million children going hungry during the school holidays by providing free school meals. I think Marcus Rashford was right when he said 'this is not politics, this is humanity'.

"The child poverty action group are right when they state 'We’ve reached a low point' with the Government ducking its 'moral responsibility'. Both you and your Government have reached a new low in your refusal to offer some meagre protection to the most vulnerable group in our society - our children.

"I would like to challenge you to live on Universal Credits rates for just one month? Will you do that? I think this would give you real insight into the difficulties that so many of your constituents face, and have faced for many months and years. Perhaps if you stepped into their shoes for even a short time you might better understand the difficulties.

"Do you accept the challenge?"

Mr Mackinlay did not make it clear whether or not he would be accepting Cllr Constantine's challenge.

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