Hampshire County Council is considering a plan to outsource school meal provision, potentially lowering costs for schools and families.

The proposal, which will be deliberated by Cllr Steve Forster on Friday, December 6, suggests sourcing meals from external providers instead of the in-house education catering service.

The "managed outsource" arrangement would see the council purchase and manage the supply of meals from providers on behalf of subscribing schools and nurseries.

The change, set to be implemented by the end of March 2026, aims to alleviate the financial strain on schools and families due to the rising cost of living.

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In recent years, the school meal industry has been hit by significant increases in food and staff costs.

The government's funding for school meals hasn't kept up with these rising costs, forcing the council to raise the price of its school meals above the Government funding rate.

Private providers, with their lower operating costs, can offer meals at a cheaper rate than the council's education catering service.

The proposed move to a managed outsource arrangement would allow the council to exit the school meal market, which it finds increasingly difficult to compete in due to budget constraints.

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Regardless of the decision, school meals, including those for free school meal-eligible children, will continue to be available across Hampshire.

The council's proposal is based on feedback from a recent five-week consultation with schools and nurseries currently using the education catering service.

The consultation revealed that 73 per cent of respondents (180 in total) would be interested in joining the managed outsource arrangement.

Concerns raised during the consultation, such as the difficulty some schools might have in finding a suitable provider and the challenges of managing their own arrangements, have also been considered.

If the proposal is agreed upon, most staff currently working in the education catering service would be expected to transfer to the new catering suppliers contracted under the managed outsource arrangement.

This would be in accordance with national employment legislation.

Schools would receive close support in transitioning to their new providers.

The council has assured that the proposed arrangement would not affect the provision of free school meals to eligible children, as local authorities are not legally required to run their own catering services to fulfil this responsibility.