Cost of school meals going up again
Hampshire County Council is blaming rising costs and government underfunding
Parents have been hit with another price hike for school meals in Hampshire.
They're going up by 20p to three pounds a day from the fifth of June - that's the second increase this academic year.
Hampshire County Council's blaming rising costs and government underfunding.
The county council’s Cabinet Member for Education, Councillor Steve Forster said: “Increasing the price of school meals was a very difficult decision as we are acutely aware of the cost of living pressures that continue to face households, and especially so soon after the last increase in October.
"However, this decision has been unavoidable due to escalating food costs and the anticipated impact of the latest national pay proposal. Government funding has simply not kept pace with these inflationary pressures.
“We know that families and schools alike are facing rising costs across the board. From our latest round of Household Support Funding - the scheme which aims to support low-income families and individuals struggling with the cost of food and fuel - we plan to provide funds to schools so they can offer grants at their own discretion to families most in need.
"We will continue to offer programmes of support to help those struggling with the ongoing rise in the cost of living. These include community pantries, community grants and the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme.
"These are difficult times, and the decision to increase meal prices has not been taken lightly. Nevertheless, we remain committed to providing high-quality lunches to support the learning of Hampshire's children and young people.
"We want to remind families that Key Stage 1 pupils receive free school meals, and older children whose families claim certain benefits are eligible for free school meals. Families should go to the HC3S website to check if they are entitled to free school meals.
“HC3S is committed to pricing meals solely to cover costs, without making a profit. HC3S also works extremely hard to offer a healthy and balanced two-course hot meal at affordable prices. While ongoing efforts are made to keep costs low, we will not compromise the nutritional quality or portion size of meals.
"Doing so would adversely affect children, particularly those from low-income households who rely on our hot meals. We also want to make sure we can recruit and retain dedicated catering staff at schools.”
The Local Authority will put forward this month its latest set of proposed initiatives to be funded from the new Household Support Fund (April 2023 to March 2024). This will include the funding available for schools, colleges and early years settings to provide direct food or fuel support for families in need.