Hampshire County Council (HCC) has announced that it is increasing the cost of school meals by 20p per day from June 5 – the second increase in just eight months.
The council increased the cost of school meals in October 2022, rising from £2.60 to £2.80. The further increase announced will raise the cost of a school meal to £3.
The council said the “difficult decision” was made “reluctantly” in the face of rising costs, and to avoid “considerable losses by the authority’s school meal provider, HC3S”.
The increase will affect parents and carers who pay for school meals in those schools which use HC3S for their catering, as well as the schools themselves.
While schools are funded by the government to provide Universal Infant Free School Meals for Key Stage 1 pupils (those in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2), HCC said this funding does not cover the full associated costs.
This is also the same for the provision of benefits-related free school meals for eligible older pupils.
The council said schools are having to cover the cost from their wider funding, placing extra pressure on overall budgets.
HCC’s cabinet member for education, Cllr 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.”
Community pantries provide groceries at a lower rate than shops and supermarkets and are accessed through membership.
Members make a small weekly contribution and receive food with a higher value than the same items would cost elsewhere.
Community grants support projects that aid vulnerable families who are struggling to afford basics like food and fuel.
The type of projects supported previously include food parcels, cook and eat sessions and mobile larders.
The HAF programme provides stimulating activities and nutritious meals to children during Easter, summer and Christmas school holidays and is free of charge for those who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals.
Cllr Forster continued: “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.”
A high number of Hampshire’s 426 primary schools, as well as 20 secondary schools and 23 special schools, use HC3S to provide their school catering.
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.
Proposals will be presented to the executive lead member for children’s services for a decision on Thursday, May 11.