During the Rochefort-du-Gard municipal council, it was decided to transfer the management of the municipal restaurant to the municipal social action center. This one “coordinates all social and family activities in the municipality and becomes the single point of contact for the various public and private partners working in the elderly sector“.
Furthermore, to cope with the inflation which has generated “an increase in the cost of raw materials to which are added structural and personnel costs, it was agreed to increase the price of the meal to 7 € et 10 € Wednesday“, specified Claudine Lacour, delegated assistant in charge of collective catering. The actual cost of the meal excluding drinks being €18.85.
The modification of access to the canteen is debated
This decision was accepted by all elected officials while the modification of the regulations for access to the canteen was debated. “The municipality provides a school catering service for all public schools in the municipality. Its aim is to ensure that children are catered for in the best conditions of hygiene and safety. It is open to them, but is not obligatory. In 2024, a census highlighted families allowing arrears to run or showing ill will in the face of various reminders for the payment of sums due“, explained Claudine Lacour.
And added: “In accordance with the recommendations published in 2023 by the Ministry of National Education and the opinion of the rights defender, it is appropriate to modify the regulation by proposing various solutions for the recovery of any debt. At the end of the various stages of negotiation and faced with the failure of dialogue or the families' desire not to pay off their debt, the municipality will inform the families that their children will no longer be able to be accommodated in the catering service.“
Comments which made Nadine Auray, opposition municipal councilor, react. “A child cannot be left without eating“, she said. The other opposition group corroborated: “This concerns a handful of families and we deplore that for some it is out of bad will because their situation easily allows them to pay this expense. As for families in difficulty, they are redirected to the CCAS and solutions are found. The aim of the modification of the regulations is to be able to take action against families who display real bad faith. We will never leave a child without eating.“
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