Council bosses in North Tyneside have come under fire after moving to outsource all of the area’s school meals to the private sector in order to cut costs.

North Tyneside Council has confirmed that it will be pulling its school catering services from March 31, 2024, as it can no longer afford to cover the cost of providing meals. The GMB union called the decision a “disgrace” and announced plans to protest outside the local authority headquarters in January, claiming that staff were “up in arms”.

There are currently 41 schools across North Tyneside that the council delivers meals for. But the local authority said that number has reduced over recent years and that, coupled with the impact of inflation, it had been left with a £3m annual shortfall as a result.

The council added that the impact on schools would be “minimal” and that all kitchen staff would be transferred over to whichever private operator takes over the service.

Reacting to the council’s withdrawal from school catering, GMB organiser Stuart Gilhespy said: “GMB members are up in arms - they don’t want to leave council employment. When private companies have taken over public contracts elsewhere in North Tyneside, the first thing they squeeze is workers' pay, terms and conditions.

“The council is trying to save money by reducing services to some of the most vulnerable people in society. This decision is a disgrace and GMB will fight it all the way. No-one should make a profit from providing food to children.”

The union is planning to protest outside the council’s Cobalt base on January 15 and 18.

Mark Longstaff, the council’s director of commissioning and asset management, responded: “The council is having to make extremely difficult decisions relating to its budgets this year and looking at changes to services across the authority. Schools have the freedom to choose who provides their school meals, as more and more have opted for alternative providers the financial sustainability of our service has been impacted.

“No school pupil will be without a school meal, all current staff working in school kitchens will be transferred to a new provider, with the same pay and terms and conditions, and there will be minimal impact on schools and school communities. Many schools in the borough have already swapped providers successfully, we will offer support to all schools, if they wish to use it, to find a new provider and to support a smooth transition to the new service.”

The council said that, in this year alone, the number of schools taking up the council’s catering offer had fallen from 49 to 41 and that another three of those have already announced their intention to leave.