KIRKLEES Council has spent more than £75,000 in the last three years on school dinner taxi takeaways.

The council pays private hire firms more than £25,000 a year to deliver school meals to students.

A fleet of taxis takes primary school lunches, average production cost 50p, to outlying schools who don't have their own preparation facilities.

The drivers then make a return visit after lunch to pick up utensils, crockery and empty trays.

In the financial year 2004/04 the council splashed out £35,823 on the service to private taxi companies.

In 2004/05 they trimmed the fat to pay out £26,660 and so far this year have laid out £14,955.

The schools who receive the taxi takeaways are Whitcliffe Road First and Nursery in Cleckheaton, Lindley Infants, Marsden Infants and Nursery, Netherton Infants and Nursery, Holme Junior and Infants and Berry Brow Infant and Nursery.

Council leader Kath Pinnock said she was satisfied with the deal.

She added: "This service was put out to the tendering process.

"As a result of this it means we have got the best value service. I do not know if the council put in a tender but I would suspect not as I don't think it is a service the council would be available to provide.

"It is a service that has got to take place because children have got to have meals at lunchtime."

Jospehine Hallas, council business support manager for catering, caretaking and cleaning, said: "The cost of taxis relates to the transportation of meals from "supplying kitchen" to schools where no production facilities exist and the return of the crockery and equipment after lunchtime.

"The average number of days when transport is required is 190.

"The costs have reduced over the past years, as new equipment has enabled production facilities to be established in a number of schools where this was previously impossible.

"A small number of schools still exist where it is not possible to establish a kitchen without significant capital investment being required."

She added: "The situation is being kept under review, as the service believes that the quality of food is improved and the unit costs of meals are lower when produced and served "on site".

"Where feasible the programme of extending the provision of "on-site" meals will be continued."