Local councillors rejected an extra £660,000 for free school meals just minutes before approving a pay boost to their own allowances.
Conservative councillors at Central Bedfordshire Council unanimously voted against debating a motion for an inflationary 10 per cent uplift to the £6.6million free school meals budget.
The motion was brought by independent opposition councillor Gareth Mackey on September 22 but the Tories shot down the chance to even debate it.
It was claimed by Cllr Mackey that the free school meals budget currently provides just 82p worth of food per child per day after other costs.
On the motion, Tory cabinet member and millionaire Cllr Steve Dixon said: "It doesn't matter if you live in a cottage or a manor house, we're all affected by cost-of-living increases", the Mail reports.
After putting down the free school meals debate, the Conservative councillors then argued against a motion to stop their own allowances, which equals to around £1m a year between them, from automatically rising with inflation, and voted it down.
It comes as millions of Brits up and down the country race to update their meter readings with the cost of energy set to soar from today.
The economy has also taken a hit after the Chancellor's mini-budget that sent markets spiralling, with Prime Minister Liz Truss admitting the country is in for a "tough winter".
Submitting his motion on free school meals, Cllr Mackey said: "This Council recognises the most severe impact of the Cost of Living Crisis falls onthose in our society with low incomes and those who may be dependent on StateBenefits.
"By extension, it is their children who may rely on the free school meals program toprovide what can sometimes be the only substantial meal they may receive in a day.
"With the ongoing substantial increases being seen in the cost of raw ingredients, thecatering departments in schools are finding it ever more difficult to provide a decentand substantial meal on what is an already squeezed budget."
The chair, Cllr Gordon Perham, told the council that the the motion would be automatically referred to the executive as it is a financial matter, unless councillors vote to have a debate - but they then subsequently voted it down.
Independent Cllr John Baker proposed the motion to limit councillor allowance rises before slamming Tory councillors for telling "sob-stories" to make sure they get a pay-rise while voting not to debate increasing the free school meals budget.
"Luckily I had a good meal before I came here today," said Cllr Baker.
"Allowances for members of this council are linked to inflation - we have discussed today many times that we are facing difficult economic times particularly for our residents... and children.
"It's easy for councillors to accept every increase in allowances but ultimately someone's got to pay for it."
Central Bedfordshire Council leader Richard Wenham told the Mail that the executive would consider the free school meals motion in early October at the earliest, but more likely not until December.
He appeared to question whether it would be 'legal' to force schools to ring-fence extra local funding for free school meals, but the Department for Education reportedly said that councils were free to supplement free school meals budgets should the money be spent as intended by using a grants scheme.
And minutes after the free school meals motion was dropped, independent Cllr John Baker proposed a motion to 'forgo the inflationary element of the Members' Allowances' increase for this year.
The pay-rise has yet to be determined but the inflationary index is likely to reach five per cent at least, Cllr Baker said, and possibly up to 10 per cent - meaning a total rise of between around £50,000 to £100,000.
As a result, councillors with no specific responsibilities could receive between an extra £550 to £1,100 per year while senior members could get an extra £1,550 to £3,100 per year.
In June 2020, Manchester United and England footballer Marcus Rashford successfully pressured the government to provide free school meals to hungry pupils during the Covid-19 pandemic, eventually forcing then-PM Boris Johnson into a U-turn.
