School dinner prices could rise as a result of new Government proposals to let schools opt out of county-wide meals services.

Problems have arisen because Oxfordshire is currently half way through inviting tenders from companies who want to provide the contract for the county's school meals service during the next financial year.

But the procedure has been complicated by draft Government proposals which would give some individual schools control over their own meals service.

This would leave some schools free to negotiate their own contracts while larger schools may choose to supply their own meals in-house.

The impending changes mean that companies bidding for Oxfordshire's meals service will not know for certain how many schools they would be catering for during the three-year contract.

But strict regulations mean that Oxfordshire cannot put the tendering process on hold until the Government has made a final decision.

Oxfordshire's deputy chief education officer, Roy Smith, said: "The uncertainty is critical for Oxfordshire because it coincides with the tendering process. "If there are 300 schools you can put together a bid with sound substance, but we have a situation where some primary and secondary schools could opt out. The tenders are having to tend on the basis of the unknown.

"It may end up with the contractor putting in higher prices." Tenders must be submitted by the end of the month.

Liberal Democrat education spokesman Janet Morgan said: "It's ridiculous. They're changing the rules and saying that because we've put an advert in for tenders we cannot back out of it.

"We've tried to explain this to the Department for Education and Employment and they don't understand."

She said additional costs would have to come from somewhere within the county council - possibly from increasing the prices of school meals.

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