Decision details

budget and approvals for investment in primary school breakfast clubs and free school meal pilot in two of the boroughs' secondary schools.

Reasons for urgency:

Required to enable commissioning and mobilisation to deliver activity from September 2019.

It is recommended that the Leader of the Council:

1.    Approves a total budget of £2,587,214 profiled over four years to fund investment to support primary school breakfast club provision;

2.    Approves a budget to fund investment in a USFM pilot in two of the borough’s secondary schools. The value of this investment is noted in exempt appendix A;

3.    Approves a budget to support the development of an innovation process focused on new, school-based solutions to food poverty and to support overall project management of the breakfast club provision and USFM pilot. The value of this investment is noted in exempt appendix A;

4.    Allocates funding of £1,963,188 of s106 funding to fund the first two years’ costs related to the above budgets.

5.    Notes that the Strategic Director for the Economy will seek to identify the additional required funding of £1,752,514 for years three and four and a further Cabinet approval will be required at that stage.

6.    Notes that the Strategic Director for the Economy will look to identify funding for continued provision of the breakfast club service and/ or ensure this is self-financing from April 2023.    

7.    Approves the procurement strategy set out at exempt appendix B for the commissioning of a strategic partner to support and enhance the primary school breakfast club offer and delegates authority for awarding the contract to the Director for Children’s Services and the Strategic Director for the Economy in consultation with the Cabinet Member for the Economy and the Arts, and the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services.

8.    Agrees to waive the requirements under Contract Standing Order (CSO) 8.11.1 for a procurement strategy in relation to the procurement competition to identify an organisation to undertake the evaluation of the USFM pilot and to procure this provider by way of an open tender process, and delegates the award of a contract for the evaluation to the Strategic Director for Children’s Services and the Strategic Director for the Economy in consultation with the Cabinet Member for the Economy and the Arts and the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services.

9.    Notes that budget for a universal free school meal pilot includes provision for an expert advisor to the Council on the preparation of the procurement documentation and strategic advice on the management of an evaluator for the UFSM pilot, and delegates the award of a contract for this to the Director for Children’s Services and the Strategic Director for the Economy in consultation with the Cabinet Member for the Economy and the Arts, and the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services. The value of this contract is noted in exempt appendix A.

10.Notes that the budget for the innovation process and project management includes provision for a service design expert to support schools and community partners to develop innovative ideas for the service, and delegates the award of a contract for this to the Director for Children’s Services and the Strategic Director for the Economy in consultation with the Cabinet Member for the Economy and the Arts, and the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services. The value of this contract is noted in exempt appendix A.

11.That the Leader of the Council approves a variation to the existing school meals contract with Cater Link Ltd that commenced 6 June 2016 and which has recently been extended by way of a separate report to 31 July 2020. The recommendation to vary this contract is to facilitate the universal free school meals pilot at Fulham College Boys School and is required to reflect the change in pricing structure.

12.That Cabinet delegates authority to the Strategic Director for Economy Department and the Director for Children Services to agree in consultation with the Cabinet Member for the Economy and the Arts and the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, how the total budget of £3,715,602 is spent to further the strategic objectives of reducing food poverty set out in the report, varying this when there are good operational or procurement reasons and the total budget is contained within the agreed budget envelope.

The breakfast club offer would support and extend existing provision across the borough’s primary schools. The free school meal pilot would test the efficacy of a policy which is unproven, but for which there is growing evidence and support from policy makers and civic society organisations. The commissioning of support to help schools and their partners develop new solutions will help develop a range of actionable solutions which individual schools can take forward.

Option 1: Do nothing and rely on charges to fund a primary school breakfast club offer

Option 2: Invest in primary school meal top up.

Alternative option – invest in universal free school meal pilot for all the borough’s secondary schools