HES 41 - Denbighshire County Council

Denbighshire County Council's response to the proposed measure is as follows:

a)  the school meal service within Denbighshire is under severe financial pressure.  Given a free choice, pupils tends to go for less healthy options, and our research shows that children (rather than parents) determine whether or not they participate in the school meal service.  

b)   In the council's opinion; if Local Authorities are to drive this initiative forward, WAG need to provide the extra financial investment necessary to improve dining rooms and kitchens.  The government also needs to directly subsidize the meals themselves, as they have done in England.  Only allocating extra finance for staff training and 'back-office' systems will not be enough to achieve the government's aims.   

c)   In some schools, the take up rates are as low as 50%.  Attention needs to be paid to what we permit the 'other 50%' of pupils to consume on school premises, and whether or not they are carrying their fair share of the burden for the costs of dining room provision etc..  It is no good introducing tight controls on a minority of pupils, if the majority have free reign to eat what they like (and to tempt the minority away from their healthier food).

d)   Local Authorities need to retain the flexibility to adapt to differing circumstances.  There is a danger that the measure could be counter productive, in that it might precipitate a further reduction in take up rates.  We would therefore prefer the nutritional standards to remain as guidance.

e)  It is difficult to see how anonymity can be provided (for free school meals pupils) in all  secondary schools.  We should only specify this objective if we can identify reasonably practicable methods of achieving it.

S.Parker

Head of Environmental Services