News / bristol city council
Council to extend meals on wheels service
Bristol City Council is extending its Community Meals service for up to three years after hailing it as a vital daily welfare check for some of our city’s most vulnerable residents.
The current contract with a frozen food supplier ends at the end of September so cabinet members approved spending £630,000 to pay for a new one, to start immediately afterwards.
Deputy mayor Craig Cheney said the service, which the authority provides in-house, was so much more than merely delivering a hot meal.
is needed now More than ever
He told a cabinet meeting: “My next-door neighbour used to receive community meals and, aside from conversations with us and the neighbours on the other side, it was probably the only conversation he had every day.
“I know from hearing the conversation that it just brought a little bit of something into his day and that can’t be underestimated.
“It’s a service that we don’t have to provide but we’re continuing to provide because we can see the value in that.
“It’s also a service that would be easy to outsource, and again we’ve not done that because the council officers are providing that extra bit of reach that a private provider wouldn’t provide and which we would have to pay for.
“So it’s really important. It doesn’t sound very exciting but it’s huge for some people in the city and I’m really proud that we’re sticking with it.”
Cheney said the new contract, which is going out to tender, would start on October 1 to ensure there was no break in the service.
Cabinet member for public health and communities, Ellie King, said they had considered outsourcing Meals on Wheels but worked hard to ensure it stayed in-house.
She told the meeting: “It’s not just a warm meal being delivered to people’s doors, it’s another welfare check.
“It’s a friendly face that’s checking in on some of our most vulnerable residents to make sure they’re okay.
“That few minutes of support really make sure we look after people and go the extra mile to make sure they’re taken care of.”
The initial contract will last one year and cost between £180,000 and £210,000 for the meals, with options to extend for a further 12 and 24 months.
A report to cabinet said Community Meals was subsidised and in total cost Bristol City Council £335,000 a year.
Main photo: Bristol Design
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