The price of school meals in Hampshire is to increase.

PARENTS will have to pay 10p more for school meals in Hampshire, after the increase was approved by county chiefs.

Hampshire County Council has agreed the first increase in six years, which its says was necessary to meet the rising costs of providing school meals.

It will take the cost per meal to £2.10, which the council says "continues to represent good value for money for a two course, freshly cooked school meal".

Executive lead member for children’s services, Councillor Keith Mans, said: “A healthy lunch at school contributes significantly to a child’s wellbeing and their capacity to learn through to the end of the school day. We’re very proud of the high standard of school meals that our catering service (HC3S) provides, using locally sourced produce.”

He added: “I am keen that school meals remain affordable but we must balance this against the rising costs to provide those meals. In my view, the proposal to put the per meal price up by small increments will avoid sudden, dramatic price hikes and ensure the increases are manageable.”

More than 70,000 healthy school meals are served in Hampshire’s primary and secondary schools across the county everyday.

All HC3S school meals meet the Department for Education’s rules for healthy school dinners and HC3S has worked with schools, pupils and parents for over 20 years, to create menus that are varied and follow the guiding principles of healthy eating.

Menus also adhere to the Hyperactive Children's Support Group's recommendations to remove over 70 additives and colourings that could affect children's behaviour.

In addition to the rising costs of ingredients, an increase to the ‘Living Wage’ is anticipated in the financial year 2017/18 which will also have a significant impact on staffing costs, the council said.

The rise was criticised by some Hampshire councillors who said the extra money would hit families hard. Cllr Chris Wood, UKIP Group Leader, said: "Over the course of the next five years parents with two children will be forced to pay an additional £117 a year to provide their children with a healthy hot meal, showing that once again this government's policies are hitting the pockets of hardworking families across Hampshire".

In Southampton the firm that delivers many of the meals in the city came out of local authority control last April. Southampton City Catering became an independent charitable trust, funded by the schools that use it and run by a board of trustees.

Along with providing meals to 49 schools in the city, any profit made by the organisation is reinvested in developing school catering facilities aimed at improving and encouraging healthy eating.

Chief Executive Officer Steve Price said the board took a decision in December not to increase the cost of school meals.

"It was decided not to increase the cost of meals and for them to remain at £2. Our commitment is retain the meals we provide at that price until at least April 2017," he said.