Council crisis talks on free school meals

Published on Friday 10 October 2008 10:25

AN emergency meeting of council leaders was being held today on the Scottish Government's plans to introduce free school meals.

The local authority umbrella group Cosla called the meeting after several councils warned they could not afford to pay for the scheme, which would see five to seven-year-olds across the country receive free lunches from 2010.

Education Secretary Fiona Hyslop announced the roll-out of the scheme across Scotland last week after pilot schemes were judged a success.

But Edinburgh's education convener Marilyne MacLaren said it would be "very difficult" for the city council to implement the policy without more government money.

And other councils up and down the country said they would have to cut other budgets to finance the scheme.

But the Government and Cosla insisted councils had signed up to provide the free meals as part of the concordat agreed between central and local government last year.

First Minister Alex Salmond has said all SNP-led councils will be implementing the free school meals policy.

Councillor Pat Watters, the president of Cosla, has asked council leaders to attend today's meeting in order to work out a cohesive position.