During the municipal council meeting on Monday, December 16, the pricing of school meals in Angers was the subject of a lively discussion. The municipal opposition accuses the current price list of being unfair to low- and middle-income households, while favoring the wealthiest families. These criticisms, made for several months, are based on a document provided in September 2023 by “Papillotes et Cie” (SPL ALREST), the service provider responsible for this public service.
Effort rates considered disproportionate
According to the opposition, the data in this document show that the effort rate – the ratio between the cost paid by families and their family quotient – is particularly unfavorable for low- and middle-income households. “The least advantaged families bear an effort 2.4 times greater than that of well-off families”, affirm the opposition elected officials. They denounce an anomaly which they describe as“antisocial”and believe that this price list “does not reflect true social justice”.
For these elected officials, a fairer scale should be linear, with an identical rate of effort for all families, or progressive, depending on income. “The current model increases inequalities. Fair school fees should relieve low-income households and not increase their costs”they declare.
The opposition criticizes municipal communication
The debate heated up when the mayor, Christophe Béchu, accused the opposition of spreading erroneous information. These elected officials reject this accusation, describing the municipal position as ” dishonest “ and denouncing remarks that they consider “defamatory”. “The figures we put forward are not inventions. They come from the official documents of the service provider »they recall.
Furthermore, opposition elected officials highlight a contradiction between the mayor’s previous declarations and current reality. “Last year, Christophe Béchu said he wanted to reduce the number of opening Sundays for businesses to three, a measure which would have made more economic and social sense. We expected a similar commitment for school fees,” criticizes a member of the opposition.
A challenge for thousands of families
For the municipal opposition, the question goes beyond the figures: it concerns the direct impact of these decisions on Angevin families. “This unfair pricing further weakens low-income households, already affected by the current economic context”they conclude.
