Jackie Schneider, chair of a parents group in the London borough of Merton, suggests that schools should make arrangements so that payments or the allocation of free meals should be in private.

BBC: Families miss free school meals

He was also a councillor in the London Borough of Merton and - interestingly - worked as a researcher for one of the local MPs, Siobhan McDonagh, the junior Whip sacked for calling for a leadership contest.

BBC: Profile: David Cairns

Only two schools out of 55 are closed in the borough of Merton in south-west London, while 80% of schools in Enfield, north London, are closed.

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