Over four and half thousand children living in poverty across Rochdale will have their lunches taken away under Theresa May's plans to abolish universal free school lunches for infants, Liberal Democrat research has revealed. In total, 4,504 children in Rochdale are set to lose out under the plans.

Those families losing out are expected to have to pay around £440 per child per year for their school lunches.

The Liberal Democrats have also calculated that under Conservative costings of just under 7p per child's breakfast, each child could expect to receive either half a boiled egg, one slice of bread with 12 baked beans or 37.5 cornflakes and 100ml of semi-skimmed milk.

Commenting on the figures, Councillor Andy Kelly, Liberal Democrat Candidate for Rochdale said: "Theresa May's cruel policy will mean hundreds of children living in poverty in Rochdale will lose out on free school lunches. Free school dinners, introduced by the Liberal Democrats in Government have proved extremely popular. Axing them will hit places like Rochdale worse than most. The amount of children suffering from poverty in Rochdale is one of the highest in Britain.

"This will mean greater inequality and struggling families having to pay hundreds of pounds on lunches a year. Many children could lose out on lunches altogether and it is totally unacceptable.

"The Conservatives' promise of a free breakfast is cynical and clearly not designed to reach all children. They have set aside a meagre 7p per breakfast per child, the price of half a boiled egg or just one slice of bread with 12 baked beans.

"The Liberal Democrats will stand up against this mean-spirited vision of Britain and extend free school lunches to all primary school children."

Some 6,513 schoolchildren in Rochdale will lose out on free lunches, under plans announced in the Conservative manifesto.

Free school lunches for pupils from reception to Year 2 were introduced by the Liberal Democrats in government, but Theresa May now plans to scrap them. The changes would cost families an average extra £480 a year for every child.

The Liberal Democrats have called on local Conservatives to make it clear whether or not they would vote for the plans.

The Conservatives are also proposing to make older people pay for social care costs from the value of their own homes when they die. This means on average, families in Rochdale would expect to see 30% of the value of their home spent on care costs.

Councillor Andy Kelly, Rochdale Liberal Democrat Candidate for Rochdale, said: "This Conservative manifesto shows the nasty party is back. Jeremy's Corbyn's Labour Party are too weak and divided to do anything about it though.

"Margaret Thatcher was known as the milk snatcher, it seems Theresa May will go down as the lunch snatcher.

"She is cynically snatching meals away from thousands of children in Rochdale, while the elderly receiving care in their own home will face a 'Personal Death Tax' charged against their home.

"Conservatives in Rochdale must now come clean over whether they will vote to take away free lunches from the children of hard-pressed families. It was only January when they thought it was a good idea to award themselves a 34% pay rise as Councillors. Surely they can't think their allowances are more important than our children's lunches?

"The Liberal Democrats will offer a brighter future by extending free school meals to all primary schools.

"We will stand up to Theresa May's cold, mean-spirited Britain, protecting those that need the most help and fighting for more funding for our schools and hospitals."

Liberal Democrats have announced they would boost investment in police forces by £300m a year. This is in stark contrast to the Conservatives who have overseen devastating cuts to community policing. Theresa May as Home Secretary and now Prime Minister has cut policing budgets by over £2bn, eroding the very fabric of community policing.

Under the Liberal Democrats, Greater Manchester would see a funding increase of £15,630,000 a year. This would be used to restore a visible policing presence in the community and ensure the police have the training and tools to deal with the changing nature of crime.

It can today be revealed that the botched consultation on the 'Greater Manchester Spatial Framework' cost taxpayers £82,596. This is the tip of the iceberg however as it doesn't include any of the spend that the 10 authorities in Greater Manchester incurred. It is only money spent by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. The figure has been revealed in a Freedom of Information Request by Rochdale Liberal Democrats. The Liberal Democrats are the only united political party against plans to build on green belt across the conurbation. The money was mainly spent on expensive, external consultants including external graphic designers, social media experts and a press agency.