some municipalities choose not to increase the price of the canteen

The canteen weighs heavily on parents’ budgets. Since 2014, the city of Saint-Dié-des-Vosges (Vosges) has chosen not to increase meal prices. A challenge this year, with soaring commodity prices. “This new increase, this year, is around 10,000 euros. Cumulated from other years, that would put us, since 2014, at a sum of 180,000 euros, so an increase of 2.46 euros in the meal per child“, estimates Bruno Toussaint, the mayor of Saint-Dié.

For the parents of the children concerned, it is a relief. “[C’est] always welcome that there is no increase at this level“, confides a mother. To compensate, the town hall must save money elsewhere, in particular on the heating of the public buildings of the city. Some municipalities go even further. In Avignon (Vaucluse), the price of the meal will thus decrease, by 50 cents to 1 euro depending on the family.The town hall was able to bear the 500,000 euros of loss of earnings, because it carried out major insulation work in the schools in recent years.