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A price hike for most meals on wheels customers in Caerphilly has moved a step closer.

A county borough council committee agreed, on Tuesday April 22, to endorse proposals for a flat rate of £6.89 for a daily main meal and dessert.

Caerphilly County Borough Council currently operates a two-tier pricing system for the subsidised service.

Most residents (79%) who are signed up to Meals Direct were referred by social services, and pay a lower daily rate of £4.18, while others – who joined the scheme themselves, or via a relative – pay the higher fee of £6.89 each day.

The council has proposed removing the lower rate as the “first stage in making Meals Direct a sustainable service”, in line with a cabinet u-turn on axing the scheme last year.

At the time, critics argued Meals Direct was a “lifeline” for elderly or vulnerable people who may otherwise be isolated.

At Tuesday’s committee meeting, Cllr Elaine Forehead, the cabinet member for social services, said the new proposal “seeks to harmonise the subsidy paid by all users”.

She said charging “even the highest subsidised rate does not cover the cost to the council” of preparing and delivering meals to hundreds of customers.

Cllr Colin Gordon said some neighbouring local authorities’ fees ranged from £5.50 to £6.50 a day last year, and asked how much other councils planned to charge in the new financial year.

Jo Williams, the council’s head of adult services, said the Welsh daily average was “around £8” last year, adding officers would be seeking the new figures for 2025/26.

But Cllr Teresa Parry said she “would feel far more comfortable voting today if I could see the comparisons” for this year.

Cllr Steve Skivens said his relative is a Meals Direct recipient, and told colleagues the scheme “should be continued in its current format”.

Some private firms charged as little as £3.99 a day for similar frozen meal services, claimed Cllr Charlotte Bishop, who said “our prices should be better than a private company”.

Ms Williams said private firms typically delivered meals to customers in bulk, “weekly, sometimes fortnightly”, and their costs include “considerably less overheads” than the council’s.

Cllr Pat Cook asked whether single delivery drivers, rather than the usual two staff members, could prove a way for the council to save money.

The area Meals Direct covers, combined with the number of deliveries, meant there was “no way it could be done by one person”, Ms Williams replied.

The committee voted 9-1, with four abstentions, to back the council’s proposals.

Cabinet members will make a final decision in the coming weeks, and if they back removing the lower rate, the policy will come into effect on Tuesday July 1.