THE COST of secondary school meals in Merthyr Tydfil looks set to increase by 10p next year.
A proposal going before the council’s cabinet on Wednesday, March 5, includes an increase to £2.80 for secondary schools and to £2.40 for secondary-age pupils at Greenfield Special School from the start of the summer term.
The cabinet report said to reflect increases to food and other service costs, an increase is required to help set a balanced budget for 2025-26.
The price increase in secondary schools will also be applied to individually priced items, which will increase by 3.7% rounded to the nearest 5p so for example pasta pots currently at £1.60, would increase to £1.65.
Of the other 19 local authorities across Wales responding to the school meals prices survey, 10 have proposals to increase prices across their secondary schools for 2025-26 and two said schools set their own prices.
With these proposed price increases, the report said Merthyr Tydfil council’s price for a secondary school meal will be the joint 13th highest of local authorities responding to the survey with four local authorities (Swansea, Torfaen, Pembrokeshire and Powys) having cheaper prices.
It is proposed to apply this increase from April 28, when the summer term starts.
The cabinet report said the price of school meals was most recently increased in April 2019, when prices were set at £2.30 in primary schools and Greenfield Special school (all pupils) and £2.70 in secondary schools.
Prices of school meals have been frozen since April 2019 due to the impact post pandemic with reduced demand for school meals with lower take-up alongside the cost-of-living crisis.
During this period universal free school meals in primary schools has been rolled out on a phased basis from September 2022 and was rolled out across all primary ages by February 2024.
Grant income from this has helped to cover the overall cost of service ensuring a balanced budget, the report said.
