School meal prices are set to increase in Middlesbrough for the first time in over a decade despite public opposition.

From April, primary school prices will rise from £1.90 to £2.05, and secondary from £2 to £2.15 – which will still leave Middlesbrough as the cheapest in the Tees Valley.

The proposals have been mooted for some time and a consultation with parents and schools was started in October last year.

The outcome of the consultation was that 92 people responded to the targeted consultation.

The vast majority of responses came from parents, with a small number from school employees and carers and the majority of respondents were opposed to the proposed increases.

In the wider Council budget consultation carried out recently 406 people answered the question in relation to school meals. Of these 29 per cent were in favour of the proposal, 35 per cent disagreed with it.

Middlesbrough Council says that, despite the increase, its service prices will remain lower than those in the town’s secondary academies which have in-house services at either £2.20 or £2.40 per meal.

A council statement said: “The school meals provided to schools who choose to use Middlesbrough Council’s service are of a high quality and always give a range of meal choices to children.

“Each day children have a choice of up to four hot main choices (depending on size of school), hot and cold desserts, salad bar including cold cooked meats, eggs, tuna, cheese and fresh fruit.”

Paid meal prices to parents have not increased since 2009, but the council says an increase is now needed to meet rising food costs and the council’s commitment to support the Living Wage.

Cllr Dennis McCabe, Middlesbrough Council’s executive member for environment, said: “Our school meal prices have remained the same for ten years, and even with this proposed increase they will still be the lowest in the Tees Valley.

“This small increase will allow us to maintain a fantastic service which delivers great food and terrific value for money.”

In 2018 Middlesbrough Council was forced to backtrack on a planned increase in school meal prices.

In August that year, the council announced that the price of school meals would be going up for the first time since 2009.

But at a Middlesbrough Council meeting of in September, then Mayor, Dave Budd, announced that the planned changes would not be going ahead after all after he said the decision “did not go through the proper process”.

Middlesbrough Council’s school catering service operates in 33 schools, including 20 academies of which two are secondary schools.

There are at present 9,626 children in Middlesbrough schools the council provides the school meals service to.

The service currently serves 537,000 free school meals alongside 529,000 universal free school meals to primary schools and 74,000 free school meals to secondary schools.

A decision on the school meal price increase will be taken at a meeting of the Council’s Executive on Tuesday, March 17