Council considers raising prices for its meals-on-wheels service
ONE of Wales’ biggest councils will consult with the public on plans to increase the prices of meals on wheels by 50p.
Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) council’s preferred option, which cabinet agreed to consult on at its meeting on Tuesday, is to reorganise the existing internal service and offer people the choice between a hot or frozen meal to be delivered with a 50p increase per meal, which the council said would save £427,000 per year.
The council said this option would increase the two-course meal price by 50p to £4.55, which it said is still a “competitive price” compared to neighbouring councils and private providers.
Under this option, staff would continue to check on people’s welfare, including help with plates if needed.
The changed service would run at a cost of £6.28 per meal, with each meal getting a council subsidy of £1.73.
The council said the proposals are being considered to ensure a service is maintained in RCT in the face of rising inflationary food and energy costs and the financial pressures all councils will face next year.
There are four options for the future of the service, with the preferred option being to keep the service with an increase in the daily charge and changes to the way it is delivered.
The other options include continuing the service as it currently operates with increased charges by 50p, £1 or £1.50 per meal, saving up to £190,000 per year.
Another option is the same but to also reorganise the existing internal service, saving up to £489,000 per year.
The final option is to end the service and help people find other options, which would save £546,000 including costs for transitional arrangements.
The council said increased financial pressures have brought significant medium-term challenges and that “remodelling key services will contribute to addressing the estimated budget gap” faced by the council following the Chancellor’s autumn statement.
Meals on wheels, or the Community Meals Service as it is formally known, delivers subsidised meals to adults in their homes. The council said home deliveries have declined since the pandemic due to factors including more choice of third sector providers and food delivery services, and free transport to supermarkets. Deliveries have fallen from 145,694 in 2020-21 to a projected total of 120,047 this year.
At the cabinet meeting, Councillor Rhys Lewis said the report is set against the backdrop of a challenging financial situation across all council services and delivering the community meals service in its current form with a large council subsidy is difficult.
He said it is right that they review the service to see how it can be made as sustainable as possible.
He said option three is the best as it keeps the service and allows residents more flexibility to choose a hot or frozen meal and gives them a choice as to when to eat the meal.
Speaking about the increase in cost by 50p with a £1.73 subsidy per meal from the council, Cllr Lewis said the overall cost would “compare very favourably” to other local authorities and private providers.
He said: “This administration is committed to avoiding compulsory redundancies and options will be sought with staff in the service to redeploy to other service areas such as our school kitchens with the free school meal rollout that’s being delivered.”
He said staff would continue to provide welfare checks and will help to reduce social isolation. “Overall, I believe that option three is the most sustainable way in which the council can continue to provide community meals, ensuring the service remains sustainable for the future through these difficult financial times.”
Deputy leader of the council Maureen Webber said: “In response to the funding challenges we face next year with increased service demand, food and energy and inflation in addition to other rising cost pressures across other service areas, there is a need to consider and look at all services, particularly those like this one with quite a significant subsidy.”
She said the preferred option is to retain the service because 80% of people who use it are aged over 70.
Cllr Webber said she thinks the price remains very competitive compared to other private providers and councils, and added that not all councils run such a service.
Council leader Andrew Morgan also supported it, saying it maintains the service, offers a hot or frozen meal so people can choose when to eat it, includes welfare checks, reduces the subsidy and allows staff to be redeployed.