Families in Nottinghamshire are facing a double blow with the planned increase in school meal prices alongside a proposed council tax hike. The cost of school meals, currently £2.95, will rise to £3.16 from April 1. This comes as the council also proposes a council tax increase of nearly £90 for most households. Opposition councillors are criticizing the move, arguing it will disproportionately affect low-income families already struggling with the cost of living.
The cost of school meals in Nottinghamshire is set to rise again, dealing a 'double whammy' to families already facing a hefty council tax increase. From April 1, school meals provided in county council-run facilities will jump from £2.95 to £3.16. Nottinghamshire County Council prepares approximately 5.2 million meals annually, with nearly 2 million being paid for, while the rest are free school meals .
This price hike, scheduled for approval at a meeting on Thursday, February 6, follows a proposed council tax increase of nearly £90 for most households. Councillor Tom Hollis, a member of the Nottinghamshire County Independent Group, voiced his opposition, stating, 'The independents will be opposing this rise that is not in the best interests of hard-working families. With the massive rise in council tax, this is a double whammy for families in Nottinghamshire.' The council is also implementing a major change in its catering services, transitioning to a minority shareholder in a partnership with a private provider. A preferred company has been selected, and this new partnership will commence in September, marking the start of the next academic year. Councillor Hollis expressed his concerns, stating, 'Privatising school meals was always going to lead to a rise in prices, I warned Conservative and Labour councillors 18 months ago that this would happen but they voted for it anyway. It is the inevitable price of privatisation.' While the council maintains that this partnership is not privatization, but a crucial step towards a sustainable future, operating for an initial five years, it acknowledges that maintaining the current price would have required an additional £880,000 subsidy. Opposition councillors have raised concerns about the impact on over 50,000 Nottinghamshire children living in poverty but ineligible for free school meals due to the low eligibility threshold. Councillor Hollis highlighted this issue, stating, 'I am disappointed that these rises in school meal charges has been presented as a done deal and will simply drive families from paying for a hot meal every day. Thousands of these families just miss out on free school meals due to the low bar for eligibility.' Nottinghamshire County Council attributes the rising costs of its catering services to several factors, particularly staffing. With a workforce of 1,100, the council says National Insurance changes announced in Rachel Reeves' budget will result in an additional £337,000 in labor costs for school catering. Councillor Scott Carlton, the cabinet member for communities and public health, acknowledged the financial pressures families face, stating, 'We understand the financial pressures faced by families, which is why we have proposed an increase well below the 13% required to maintain current subsidy levels. Keeping the prices at its current levels would mean increasing the council's subsidy to school's catering by an additional £0.88million, which is simply not sustainable given the challenges we face.
SCHOOL MEALS NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNCIL TAX PRICE HIKES FAMILIES COST OF LIVING PRIVATIZATION CATERING SERVICES
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Nottinghamshire School Closed Due to Power OutageRound Hill Primary School in Beeston, Nottinghamshire, is closed today, January 7th, 2025, due to a power failure that occurred overnight. The school lacks electricity, heating, and cooking facilities. Officials expect the school to reopen tomorrow.
Read more »
Wetherspoon hikes prices in ALL pubs from today with cost of popular drinks and meal dealsPub chain JD Wetherspoon has raised the cost of alcohol drinks including Guinness, Sharp's Doom Bar, Bulmers cider, Gordon's gin, Smirnoff vodka, Teresa Rizzi Prosecco.
Read more »
Nearly £3m of free school meal debt wiped out during cost of living crisisGreen MSP Ross Greer hailed the write-off after his party had pushed for a fund to help parents.
Read more »
Nearly £3m of school meal debt written off in ScotlandNearly £3 million of school meal debt has been written off in Scotland after a national fund was created to help struggling families. Pupils in Aberdeen were the biggest beneficiary after figures showed over £400,000 of debt was cancelled. The fund was a response to growing alarm over school meal debt incurred by families during the cost of living crisis.
Read more »
Diamondback Energy Sees Lower Oil Prices, Higher Natural Gas Prices in Q4Diamondback Energy reported lower oil prices and higher natural gas prices in the fourth quarter of 2023. The company's average realized crude oil price fell to $69.48 per barrel from $73.13 per barrel in the third quarter, while the average realized natural gas price surged by approximately 30%. Diamondback, like other shale majors, is looking to capitalize on the anticipated increase in natural gas demand driven by the growth of artificial intelligence (AI).
Read more »
Crude Oil Prices Remain Stable Despite Predictions of Lower PricesCrude oil prices stabilized today following a dip on Tuesday after the release of the Energy Information Administration's (EIA) latest Short-Term Energy Outlook. The EIA predicted lower oil prices for this year and next, citing expectations of increased production from both OPEC and non-OPEC countries. While Brent crude and West Texas Intermediate initially dipped, they later rebounded, with Brent crude exceeding $80 per barrel and WTI approaching $79 per barrel. The EIA forecasts global oil production to increase by 1.8 million barrels daily this year and another 1.5 million barrels daily in 2026. However, the agency also predicts that oil consumption will grow at a slower rate, potentially impacting price stability.
Read more »