Councils face £26m shortfall in free school meals pledge

A survey by the Local Government Association (LGA) of around 75 councils found the government’s £150m funding package to carry out necessary improvements to primary school kitchens is not enough.

The total shortfall among those that responded was £25,866,143, with the LGA warning that the total shortfall across all English authorities is set to be significantly higher.

On average each council is having to find £488,000 from other budgets to carry out work to ensure all four- to seven-year-olds receive a free school meal. Councils told the LGA school maintenance budgets were mainly being used meet this shortfall.

Among those surveyed, 47 per cent said they had not received enough money from the Department for Education to cover the full cost of work needed to supply the free meals. Among those with a shortfall, 49 per cent of councils said they would help cover the cost, while 37 per cent said at least some of the money would have to come from school funds.

David Simmonds, chair of the LGA’s children and young people board, said: “It cannot be right that for some councils, money set aside for maintenance has instead had to be spent plugging the shortfall in money which government should have provided for meals.
 
“This research makes it clear central government has not provided schools with enough money to do the essential work necessary to give 1.5 million children a free meal at lunchtime. It is councils and schools who are picking up the bill for this work, at a time when budgets are already squeezed and tough decisions are being taken.”

The pledge to provide free school meals was made by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg last year in a bid to raise attainment and improve children’s health. The pledge covers around 1.55 million pupils from when the new school year starts.

While work is carried out on kitchens some schools are giving pupils packed lunches while others are using portable kitchens, the LGA said.

Kevin Courtney, deputy general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: “It is wrong that local councillors find themselves in the invidious position of having to cut other essential services like school maintenance to meet the cost of the introduction of free school meals.
 
“It should have been clear that free school meals would need to be properly funded, particularly in the context of the swingeing cuts to essential services that local councils have had to implement for the last four years due to government austerity measures.”