News

Bolton Council's school meal catering service has won the category of Most Improved Performance in Education Catering at the Association for Public Sector Excellence (APSE) awards.

• The team beat off competition from East Dunbartonshire, Kirklees, Liverpool, Manchester, North Lincolnshire, South Lanarkshire and West Dunbartonshire councils to scoop the award.
• The team was praised for keeping meal expenditure to a minimum, free meal-take up and for sourcing food locally.
• Around 80% of ingredients for school dinners come from suppliers based in the area, compared with the national figure of 27%.
• Bolton Council's executive member for environmental services, councillor Akhtar Zaman, said: "We're so pleased to win this award and be recognised again at a national level for our work.
• "It's well deserved and a real testament to our catering and school staff and officers from the department."
• Children in 96 primary schools in Bolton have been enjoying meals for £1 since last January, following successful pilots since 2008 across two year groups.