School meals in Nottinghamshire will be provided by a different service for the start of the next school year.
Nottinghamshire County Council has opted to form a partnership with a business or another council to run catering.
It currently runs it in-house buy says it is making losses of £2.7million every year.
The new contract will start in September 2025 and cover school meals, the delivery of hot meals to vulnerable residents, grounds maintenance and other facilities management.
The Conservative-run administration previously said they hoped the cost of school meals would fall as a result.
However, Independent councillors labelled the idea “privatisation” which would lead to unhealthier meals for children.
Bids for the contract will have to be submitted by December, with a final decision taken by cabinet in February 2025.
This will give time for the contract to be fully operational by September 2025.
The council’s catering service has been under pressure from rising food prices and inflation, and made a significant loss in 2023-24.
This is expected to rise to £2.7million in 2024-25.
The services are discretionary, meaning the council doesn’t have a legal duty to provide them.
An update on progress will be presented to the Place Select Committee next week (Wednesday, September 18).
Committee chairman Mike Adams previously said: “A partnership will allow us to keep a full hand in running the services, whether it’s with another local authority or an external business.
“We can work together to get a better outcome using economies of scale. The services are losing us £2.5million a year.
“It’s really important this council becomes fit for the future. This is the best option to protect staff.”
However, Tom Hollis said: “Private companies won’t put [children’s wellbeing] first.”
He added he feared that a private firm would only serve “pizzas, burgers and chips”, or would cut portions to save money.
