Agenda item

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Customer Services which fulfilled the annual instruction to bring a report to Committee prior to the close of each school year (a) detailing the numbers registered for and taking free school meals by school; and (b) assessing the progress made by implementing the new workstreams and detailing any required adjustments for the following school year.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee note the progress in Free School Meal provision and actions to continue developing uptake.

The Convener, seconded by the Vice Convener, moved the recommendation contained in the report.

Councillor Blake, seconded by Councillor Lawrence, moved as an amendment:-

That the Committee:-

(a)      note the progress in Free School Meal provision and actions in 3.7;

(b)      agree that there was a moral imperative to ensure the children of Aberdeen were not hungry, as hungry children were not in the best position to learn;

(c)      support the Scottish Youth Parliament’s “Right to Food” campaign and work with young people to ensure that any stigma associated with accessing food was eliminated;

(d)      recognise that young people should have meaningful involvement in decision-making about the content and quality of school meals, and in making improvements to their eating environment;

(e)      instruct the Interim Chief Officer – Education in conjunction with the Chief Officer – Operations and Protective Services to conduct a pilot in a secondary school consulting young people on the above with the view of increasing the uptake of free school meals and to report back to committee;

(f)       note that Primary 6 and Primary 7 rollout of free school meals to all pupils promised for August 2022 had been delayed until 2026 and the pilot programme for secondary school had not been progressed by the Scottish Government, and that this continued to have a detrimental impact on our young people who suffered from food insecurity and hunger;

(g)      agree with Willie Rennie, the Liberal Democrat MSP, on the delays to free school meals for Primary 6 and 7 pupils - “these delays and broken pledges are a perfect illustration of why voters should not vote for the Scottish nationalists”; and

(h)      instruct the Chief Officer - Finance, in consultation with the Convener of the Finance and Resources Committee, to write to the Scottish Government asking for a response to the Council’s request in October 2021 for an additional £15 million to expand catering facilities to enable the roll out to Primary 6 and Primary 7 pupils.

On a division, there voted:- for the motion (10) – the Convener; the Vice Convener; Councillors Al-Samarai, Bouse, Hazel Cameron, MacGregor, Radley and van Sweeden; and Mr Crawford and Mrs Smith; for the amendment (7) – Councillors Blake, Brooks, Grant, Lawrence and McLeod; and Mrs Cardno and Mr Regmi; declined to vote (2) – Mr Murray and Miss Scott.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)       to note that the Interim Director of Children’s and Family Services and the Interim Chief Officer – Education would undertake a trend analysis of the data contained in the appendices and provide a verbal update to the September meeting; and

(ii)       to approve the motion.