TRADITIONAL school meals will soon no longer be on the menu as changes are set to be implemented at schools across the Redcar and Cleveland area.

The borough’s Schools Catering Service (SCS), which employs more than 200 staff, provides meals for 43 of the 59 schools in Redcar and Cleveland.

However, more than half of the remaining schools have already switched to a private provider, or are considering switching, because they can get a cheaper deal elsewhere.

Today (Tuesday, December 17), Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council’s cabinet committee agreed plans to phase out the service and look to transfer jobs to the catering contractors.

The decision was met with a wave of frustration from members but they promised to try and minimise the impact on staff.

Councillor Mark Hannon said: “At some schools it’s about the poor take up of school meals but at others it is the introduction of vending machines and fast food which has seen numbers fall. I suggest all of the schools throughout the vending machines and provide nutritional food for the children.”

Duncan Rothwell, regional organiser at Unison, claims the change will have a damaging effect on the quality of school meals as cost efficiency comes ahead of food quality.

He said: “The quality of school dinners provided by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council goes beyond the minimum school food standards demanded by the Department for Education. School meals provided by the council are freshly prepared and cooked on-site at each school.

“Far too often, a school dinner is the one and only, hot and nutritious meal which a Cleveland school child can depend on. When school governing bodies try to scrimp and cut costs on school dinners, it is the welfare and health of the children which will suffer.”

Members agreed to carry out a planned withdrawl of the service and offer advice and support to the schools as they approach catering firms for tenders.