The cost of school meals in Merthyr Tydfil will continue to be frozen next year. The council’s cabinet approved a price freeze from September 2022 at a meeting on Wednesday, July 6.
The price of school meals is usually set in April or September each year and it was most recently increased in April 2019 by 20p to £2.30 in primary schools and £2.70 in secondary schools. The report said the council did not consider an increase in 2020-21 due to the coronavirus pandemic and the interruption to the service delivery.
Prices were held due to the impact that had been seen post-pandemic with reduced demand and take-up of meals. The number of pupils eligible for free school meals has also increased significantly since the pandemic, from 23.3% in 2020 to 30.5% in 2022 including those with protected free school meal status, the report said.
