Parents of Hampshire school children are being warned as Hampshire County Council is to close its school catering service.

Hampshire County Council is proposing to close its education catering service by March 31, 2026.

The authority is now putting two ideas forward to Hampshire schools to understand which options will meet their catering needs in future.

The two options are:

  1. For schools and nurseries to arrange their own catering. The council said there is an active, well-established private sector market of school food providers operating successfully in Hampshire, from which schools can select.

  2. To provide a managed outsource of the service which schools and nurseries could buy into. This option would see the council procure and manage the supply of meals from alternative providers, on behalf of schools and nurseries.

The current consultation runs for a period of five weeks, until Friday, October 11, and also seeks feedback on the two potential options above. 

A Hampshire County Council spokesperson said: “While we are exceptionally proud of all that our education catering service has achieved, including national recognition as a leader in its field, with several awards and an ongoing commitment to UK sourced produce, the financial challenges we are facing mean that our priority must now be the provision of statutory services.

“With the considerable cost increases we are facing, which remain unmatched by an equivalent increase in the funding received directly by schools, we must regrettably consider closing this discretionary service.

“However, we will continue to lobby government for additional funding for schools to provide good quality meals. 

“All existing school and nursery customers of the Education Catering service have been informed of the consultation and we will ensure that their feedback is fully reviewed and considered ahead of any future decisions.

“We are grateful for the support that staff and customers have shown for the Education Catering service throughout what continues to be a very challenging period in the school food industry, both locally and nationally.”

Feedback from the consultation, and a recommended way forward, will be presented for consideration to Councillor Steve Forster, the County Council’s Cabinet Member for Education, at a Decision Day meeting in November.