COUNCIL bosses are confident that a new online payment system will solve a county’s school dinner debts which have topped £136,000 over recent years.

Recent reports in the media found that parents in Gwynedd owed £85,589 in unpaid school meal debts at the end of last year – costing the authority much needed revenue during a time of substantial funding cuts.

But a new report, to be discussed by councillors next week, highlights that the extent of the problem is even worse with recovering the debt from parents said to “take a long time,” having “in a few cases” already been “written off.”

The publicised figure of £85,539 reflects only the amount outstanding on the schools’ own books, with another £51,231.74 having been transferred to the authority to solve.

As a result, over the past five years, a total of £136,821.21 was still owed to Gwynedd Council as of March.

But officers believe that recent technological developments will, in future, help nip the issue in the bud – particularly in primary schools where the issue is most prominent.

Only six of the county’s 87 schools show no debts at all, with the others ranging from £2.50 to £6,987.02, with 23 schools having debts of over £1,000.

According to Gwynedd Council, the recent introduction of an online payment system means that the process is far more convenient for families while also making it easier for the authority to receive reports about specific debts.

Owen Owens, Gwynedd Council senior manager education resources service, said: “Over the past year, a new easy to use system has been introduced in all the county’s primary schools which means it is possible for families to pay 24-hours a day.

“This new convenient process means that parents no longer have to find the exact money to place in an envelope to pay for school dinners every week.

“This system also allows parents to monitor their payments and to keep track of any payments they need to make.

“As the system is adopted more widely, it will also lift the administrative expectations on schools and enable the authority to be aware immediately if debts for school dinners accrue.”

With one school having debts in the region of £18,000, work has been underway to ensure that headteachers and meal clerks understand the procedure for collecting debts and how to discuss the next steps to be taken.

These include contacting parents to inform them that they are required to settle their debts by a certain date and if not resolved, informing the council to arrange raising an official invoice.

According to the report, the 24/7 online payment system also makes it easier for families to pay for school meals at a time which is convenient for them, which should lead to fewer debts going forward.

Mr Owens added: “The scrutiny report draws attention to the fact that work is already being carried out to tighten arrangements in terms of school dinner debts.

“As an authority, we urge schools to make us aware as soon as possible so that we can try to deal with a problem and when possible offer help to families to repay before significant debts are accrued.

“As the report that will be considered by the Scrutiny Committee notes, we would encourage families who are finding it difficult to pay for school dinners to contact the council as soon as possible.

“It may be that the child could be eligible for free school dinners.

“Any parent who would like more information about the free school dinners arrangements can find details on www.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/free-lunch or contact the Council’s benefits team on email: [email protected] or call 01286 682689 to discuss any questions.