“This Council notes that the Cabinet has agreed to include the current catering and cleaning services provided by Food with Thought and QCS within the scope of a Total Facilities Management Service Contract.
Given that:
1. These services are paid for from the schools Delegated Budgets.
2. Schools have indicated that they support the current service provided by Food with Thought,
3. Food With Thought is forecasting a trading surplus
4. There has been a 5.75% rise in the take up of meals.
5. Currently any profit generated is reinvested in the service
Inclusion of this service in a much larger contract will jeopardise all of this and the other work which has been done this includes, training staff, communicating with parents, the provision of an excellent menu leaflet which goes out and is published in the Oxford Mail and much more.
It is difficult to understand how a commercial organisation and possibly one where share holders or financial holding companies require a profit could provide such a service to our schools and to the children of this county. This Council, therefore, calls on the Cabinet to reconsider its position and to open a dialogue with the schools as to how best these services can be provided.”
Minutes:
Councillor Brighouse moved and Councillor Stevens seconded the following motion:
“This Council notes that the Cabinet has agreed to include the current catering and cleaning services provided by Food with Thought and QCS within the scope of a Total Facilities Management Service Contract.
Given that:
1. These services are paid for from the schools Delegated Budgets.
2. Schools have indicated that they support the current service provided by Food with Thought,
3. Food With Thought is forecasting a trading surplus
4. There has been a 5.75% rise in the take up of meals.
5. Currently any profit generated is reinvested in the service
Inclusion of this service in a much larger contract will jeopardise all of this and the other work which has been done this includes, training staff, communicating with parents, the provision of an excellent menu leaflet which goes out and is published in the Oxford Mail and much more.
It is difficult to understand how a commercial organisation and possibly one where share holders or financial holding companies require a profit could provide such a service to our schools and to the children of this county. This Council, therefore, calls on the Cabinet to reconsider its position and to open a dialogue with the schools as to how best these services can be provided.”
Councillor Fooks moved and Councillor Patrick seconded the following amendment to the motion shown in bold italics and strikethrough:
“This Council notes that the Cabinet has agreed to include the current catering and cleaning services provided by Food with Thought and QCS within the scope of a Total Facilities Management Service Contract.
Given that:
1. These services are paid for from the schools Delegated Budgets.
2. Schools have indicated that they support the current service provided by Food with Thought,
3. Food With Thought is forecasting a trading surplus
4. There has been a 5.75% rise in the take up of meals.
5. Currently any profit generated is reinvested in the service
Inclusion of this service in a much larger contract will
jeopardise all of this and the other work which has been done this
includes, training staff, communicating with parents, the provision
of an excellent menu leaflet which goes out and is published in the
Oxford Mail and much more.Council believes that it is not proven that having a
bigger contract will reduce risk to the County Council or save
money, but that it would jeopardise the good work currently done by
Food with Thought. In particular, it is not clear that including
Food with Thought in the proposed contract would improve meal
take-up or maintain the current high quality of
provision
It
is difficult to understand how a commercial organisation and
possibly one where share holders or financial holding companies
require a profit could provide such a service to our schools and to
the children of this county. This
Council, therefore, calls on the Cabinet to reconsider its position
and to open a dialogue with the schools as to how best these
services Food with Thought can
be provided.”
Following debate the amendment was lost by 9 votes to 51 with 4 abstentions.
Following debate the substantive motion was lost by 18 votes to 46 with 1 abstention.
N.B. Councillor Carter asked that his abstention from both the above votes be recorded.