A FUND worth £120,000 will be available over the next two years to replace school catering equipment.
The cash will be made available to Torfaen Borough Council’s catering manager from a £450,000 reserve its Labour cabinet set aside for school catering equipment in May this year.
It has been estimated the council will have to find around £420,000 to fund equipment replacement over the next four years.
The Welsh Government’s universal free school meals policy for all primary pupils has meant upgrades will be required across a number of schools as well as wear and tear.
Without an earmarked reserve the likely bill would be a cost pressure on the council, leading to the cabinet to set aside the amount, separate from its day-to-day budget, to cover the cost.
£60,000 in 2025/26
Catering and cleaning manager Tracy James has requested permission to access £60,000 of the fund this year and the same amount in the 2026/27 financial year.
Her report said while equipment will only be replaced when necessary, the estimate has been made as it isn’t possible to tell when equipment will fail, and as the need to replace can often be urgent, it isn’t practical to make individual requests each time items need replacing.
The report stated: “The age of the equipment is not a reason itself to replace equipment, but it is a helpful reference when making such decisions.”
An inventory of any equipment purchased will be maintained with unspent funds returned to the children and families (education) budget.
If all of the £120,000 is spent, a new request to access the remainder of the reserve will have to be made.