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£120,000 tackles school meal debt | £120,000 tackles school meal debt |
(about 4 hours later) | |
Councillors have recommended spending £120,000 to bail out their school meals service, which is in debt as more pupils reject healthier lunch options. | |
Denbighshire Council is also to set up a working group to look into ways of increasing pupils' take-up of meals. | Denbighshire Council is also to set up a working group to look into ways of increasing pupils' take-up of meals. |
Servings are 100,000 down on last year although demand rises by 40% on days fast food is served in primary schools. | Servings are 100,000 down on last year although demand rises by 40% on days fast food is served in primary schools. |
Meanwhile, BBC Wales found 12 of Wales' 22 councils have seen a fall in the number of pupils eating school dinners. | |
Denbighshire councillors have also been recommended to spend another £70,000 to create a new cashless payment system in school canteens. | |
At a meeting on Thursday, councillors were told in a report that Denbighshire's school meals service was no longer financially viable. | At a meeting on Thursday, councillors were told in a report that Denbighshire's school meals service was no longer financially viable. |
Rising costs for fresh vegetables and fish also added to pressures and the local authority's catering service was more than £81,000 in the red last year. | Rising costs for fresh vegetables and fish also added to pressures and the local authority's catering service was more than £81,000 in the red last year. |
Worsened | Worsened |
Roughly one in seven of Denbighshire's primary school children have given up school meals in the past three years and the take-up rate is now about 48%, councillors were told. | Roughly one in seven of Denbighshire's primary school children have given up school meals in the past three years and the take-up rate is now about 48%, councillors were told. |
Three years ago, the council allocated a £74,000 subsidy to the catering service after it recorded losses of £20,000. | Three years ago, the council allocated a £74,000 subsidy to the catering service after it recorded losses of £20,000. |
But the subsidy was later reduced and financial situation has worsened with the service ending up more than £81,000 in the red last year. | But the subsidy was later reduced and financial situation has worsened with the service ending up more than £81,000 in the red last year. |
Denbighshire's lifelong learning scrutiny committee has also agreed to set up a working group. | Denbighshire's lifelong learning scrutiny committee has also agreed to set up a working group. |
It will take an in-depth look over the next three months at how to encourage more pupils to eat school lunches. | It will take an in-depth look over the next three months at how to encourage more pupils to eat school lunches. |
There was a similar pattern in more than half of other Welsh councils asked by BBC Wales about demand for school lunches. | |
Primary schools in Pembrokeshire have seen uptake of schools meals fall from 44% to 39% of pupils, while in Newport numbers had fallen by 2.75% over the last six months. |
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