'No reason' for Derbyshire families to pay more for school meals than in other counties says Labour MP as council believes national average will go up

Almost 5,000 parents have signed a petition calling to stop the 41% price hike to to £3.25 and limit costs to the average £2.65.

Derbyshire County Council Cabinet Member for Education Councillor Alex Dale said the decision to increase the prices wasn’t taken lightly, but was necessary with food inflation costs rising.

Mr Perkins said: “These issues face all councils and that doesn't explain why Derbyshire will be charging more than the national average of £2.65. Under the Conservatives the council has not been as efficient as before and I think they will have to work harder to provide a meal at a cost that is in line with the national average. There is no reason why Derbyshire families should pay more than families in other counties.”

A survey by Local Authorities Caters Association has found the price of a paid-for school meal is expected to increase to an average of £2.65 in 2023, representing an 18% increase compared to March 2020 due to rising food and production costs.

Cllr Dale said: “The average figure of £2.65 is a predicted average for the year, published back in January, based on data which include both public and private sector providers, carried out in November 2022.

“Since then, global inflation has continued to bite very hard. We’ve seen food inflation peak at 19% in March and it still sits at around 17% now. Different providers have been affected in different ways by pay inflation. As a local authority run-provider, the service has been hit particularly hard by the Local Government Pay award for 2022/23, which saw significant increases of up to 10% for our 1,500 staff – a total increase of £1.28m.

“Other competitors have also rightly been criticised for reducing the quality and size of their meals – something which we absolutely refuse to compromise on.

“Since LACA published their figures, we have seen local authority providers increase their charges significantly, like Hampshire at £3 and Hertfordshire at £3.15. Several Councils are currently reviewing their charges. Over the next few months, we will see other local authorities increasing charges to reflect the similar pressures they are facing.”