West Dunbartonshire Council could charge £5 for school lunch

The cash-strapped authority have suggested a list of cost-cutting options which could help them balance the budget for the 2026/27 financial year.

Included in these measures is the suggestion that they could raise an extra £800,000 by no longer subsidising school meals.

Currently, lunches cost each pupil £3.19, however, primary school pupils in P1 to P5, all pupils with ASN and those granted entitlement by means, are provided free of charge via external government funding.

An additional £800k subsidy is added by the local authority which they could now chose to take back.

Councillors next week will be provided with four options they can take to reduce costs.

Option one would include full recovery of costs, meaning those who are not covered by grants or income would be charged £5.73.

Option two would include the authority recovering half their subsidy and asking those eligible to pay £4.39 for a school meal.

Option three would include a 25% recovery of costs surmounting to a £3.71 lunch charge.

Option four would mean only pupils covered by governmental funding would receive a school-supplied meal. The provision for other pupils would end.

Included in the council's report on the cost-cutting measure, officers say there is a "significant risk" this option could lead to people not paying the new prices.

In addition, it is noted there could be "a reputational risk from increasing costs to a level which many are likely to deem unaffordable particularly in the current financial environment with increasing cost pressures on families."

Elected members will consider this option along with several others which aim to reduce costs in years to come.

During the full council meeting on March 4, councillors will decide on which of these to take on as part of the 2026/27 budget.

An additional measure the Clydebank Post has been reporting on is the potential implementation of parking charges.

Currently motorists parking within the local authority's towns and villages are not charged, however, a proposal announced yesterday could change this.

The proposed costs would be implemented between 9am and 6pm, Monday to Saturday. They are:

• Between zero and two hours: £1
• Between two and three hours: £2
• Between three and four hours: £3
• More than four hours: £5

It is expected that blue badge holders can continue to park without charge.