CER10 - Financial Savings 2023-24 - Secondary School Meals
| Title | CER10 - Financial Savings 2023-24 - Secondary School Meals |
|---|---|
| Council Resource | Community and Enterprise |
| Aims and Objectives | The average charge of a school meal across Scottish Councils has risen to £2.40 and South Lanarkshire currently charges £2.00. The highest is North Lanarkshire who currently charge £3.15. The aim of the assessment is to consider the impact of the proposal to increase the amount charged for a school meal within secondary schools in South Lanarkshire, from the current price of £2.00 to current Scottish average price of £2.40 (20% increase). Assuming a 10% reduction in uptake, this proposal is expected to generate income of £0.355 million. Uptake of meals and income will continue to be monitored. South Lanarkshire would move from being the lowest school meal price in Scotland to 13th position (assuming other councils do not increase their charges). Note that children entitled to free school meals will continue to receive these. |
| Conclusion | The average charge of a school meal across Scottish Councils has risen to £2.40 and South Lanarkshire currently charges £2.00. The highest is North Lanarkshire who currently charge £3.15. This proposal is to increase the charge of secondary school meals to the average charge (£2.40 in 2022). This equates to a 40p increase on the current charge of £2.00, a 20% increase. Note that children entitled to free school meals will continue to receive these. Whilst we acknowledge there will be a negative impact on service users in the age category, namely, Secondary school pupils (12 - 18 years old), parents and carers who are not entitled to free meals through benefits, the full impact of this proposal will not be fully known until it is put in place. We will monitor the impact using the Council's complaints procedure and school meal uptake levels. Taking all of the above into account, it is considered that any impact on equality groups will be limited, and the proposal is justified. |
| Completion date | 22/2/23 |
| Contact Email address | equalities@southlanarkshire.gov.uk |