Stirling Labour councillors have tabled a motion seeking to completely revoke a budget decision to outsource school meals. Their bid will go before a full council meeting tomorrow (Thursday).
It comes after an online petition was created four days ago – which already has nearly 1,000 signatures.
Labour group calls for revocation
Councillor Gerry McGarvey, Stirling Labour group leader, said: “Councillors unanimously agreed a motion in June that we wanted to maintain the Food for Life Silver Status for our schools and it was great to see that cross party support which we sincerely hope will continue.
“Whilst we opposed the budget decision by SNP, Green and Independent councillors in the February budget setting process, more than six months have passed so they now have the opportunity to rethink, do the right thing by Stirling and revoke this decision to protect vital local public services.”
McGarvey added: “Pupils, parents, parent councils, community councils, staff and trade unions are all raising concerns regarding these plans and we hope that councillors are listening to this feedback.
“The decision itself has a ‘£0’ saving against it for this financial year, 2026/27, so stepping back now would not even have any current financial impact in the year, which makes it all the more important that it is halted now.”
SNP defends proposal
The SNP group earlier this week issued a statement on the proposals. It said the proposal would save £500,000 in its first year of operation and £900,000 per year thereafter, and require spending £1 million on new equipment.
For context, the £900,000 figure equals an ongoing saving of 1.5 per cent per year on residents’ Council Tax bills.
The SNP group said it sought confirmation from officers that the resulting food offering would match or exceed the existing for nutrition, would retain the Soil Association Food for Life “Silver” standard, and that the changes could be made while ensuring the council’s ‘No Compulsory Redundancy’ policy could be maintained for staff affected.
At an ‘all members’ briefing on Monday afternoon, councillors were informed that officers are now working with a single preferred supplier and assured that all these points can be achieved, with the single proviso that the Soil Association criteria on the distance food travels (20 miles) remains under negotiation.
Menu details and staff assurances
The main change is that the protein (meat) element of the menu will be prepared using fresh ingredients centrally and provided to the schools pre-prepared, while the remainder (carbohydrates, salads and other vegetables etc) will be prepared from scratch on site.
The proposal meets all national guidelines on food and nutrition, and all food would continue to be bought via the ‘Scotland Excel’ contract mechanism as now. A daily vegetarian option will be offered, and bespoke individual diets including vegan are available. Apart from sliced ham and pepperoni for sandwiches and pizza, all meat is Scottish, QMS or Red Tractor standard. No fish rated as ‘to avoid’ by the Marine Conservation Society will be served, all eggs will be from Free Range birds, and milk will be certified organic.
The SNP group said the impact on staff was also discussed, and it was confirmed that people concerned will be protected, retaining the No Compulsory Redundancy policy. The council has established a significant reserve to ensure that tailored retraining and up-skilling packages can be made available to any staff affected. With the rate of staff turnover in a 4,500-strong workforce, HR staff are confident that new posts can be found for all.
Negotiations continue with both the preferred supplier and with the Soil Association, but at this stage the SNP group said it is content that the proposal is on track to meet all children’s nutritional requirements while protecting the interests of staff and producing a significant saving for residents.
