Pupils may lose hot meal in city bid to cut costs

SCHOOLCHILDREN face losing out on hot meals at Friday lunchtimes in the latest bid to tackle the city council's financial crisis.

Officials are considering only offering packed lunches with cold sandwiches to pupils at both primary and secondary school level.

The proposals attracted furious criticism today from parents and nutrition experts, who warned that some children could lose out on their one hot meal of the day.

The potential cutbacks emerged for the first time at a council meeting, to the astonishment of most councillors.

Education leader Marilyne MacLaren insisted it was just a "suggestion", but council deputy leader Steve Cardownie immediately voiced his concerns.

Officials believe the cutback should be considered because pupils in the Capital have Friday afternoons off, meaning the school lunch uptake is lower. The council also insisted the cold lunches are just as nutritious.

But Ruth McKay, practice manager at the Children's Weight Clinic in Edinburgh, said: "Sandwiches are no substitute for a proper meal. Surely the council can find something else to cut, instead of the possible one hot meal a day these children will have?

"Yesterday, we heard that £3.4 million is spent by the council on spin doctors - surely a child's meal is more important?"

Tina Woolnough, founder of pressure group Parents in Partnership, added: " At some schools, particularly in areas of social deprivation, hot meals on a Friday are crucial. The youngsters may not receive a hot meal that evening or over the weekend. The council would be withdrawing something that makes a huge difference."

Around £4.8m is spent by the council on school meals every year, and officials have yet to work out how much the cutback would save. But the children and families department is under intense scrutiny after going nearly £10m into the red last year.

Councillor Andrew Burns, Labour's education spokesman, said there were lots of benefits to providing hot school meals, and warned that any attempt to withdraw this on a Friday would require a "lot more consideration".

"This is an example of another ill-considered set of proposals from the administration," he said. "This potentially important decision, which could impact on thousands of families, sneaked out during a committee discussion. That's no way to run a local authority."

Councillor Cardownie said: "My gut reaction is to be against this. I will take a lot of convincing to take away the choice of a hot school meal."

Councillor MacLaren said her job was to choose the "least contentious" cutbacks. "No decisions have been made," she said.

"But on Fridays, youngsters want to get away. So there is mileage in the suggestion of providing a good packed lunch instead.

"I'm very keen to make school meals more attractive, and encourage uptake among pupils. But I have to get through these initial dreadful financial difficulties."