EDUCATION bosses in East Yorkshire have been given nearly £400,000, while their counterparts in North Yorkshire have gained more than £300,000 and those in York more than £90,000 - all in a bid to improve school meals.

The money is the first instalment from the Department of Education and Skills (DfES) of a multi-million pound package promised for schools and local education authorities across the nation in the wake of TV chef Jamie Oliver's campaign for better school grub.

North Yorkshire County Council has got £325,903, with City of York Council getting £90,367.

There are two parts to the funding, one which will be given to the local education authority and the other that will go directly to schools.

East Riding Council secured £186,000, on top of £208,000 for schools, with primary schools each receiving £1,200 and secondary schools more than £2,000.

In North Yorkshire, primary schools will receive a lump sum of £1,070 plus 50p per pupil, and secondary schools will receive a lump sum of £1,500 plus 50p per pupil.

The payments are based on the number of pupils and the number of free school meals provided by each authority.

Education chiefs at City of York Council said they are still deciding how best to spend the money and will be consulting with catering contractors in due course.

North Yorkshire County Catering provides school meals for 417 schools in North Yorkshire and York.

A spokesman for the organisation said it had been waiting for some time for the Government to make its decision, and was now waiting for the local authorities to decide how the money would be allocated.

In July, the Evening Press revealed the price of school meals in York was set to rise in light of TV chef Jamie Oliver's concerns over food quality. Parents opting to pay for school meals in a primary school would see prices rise at the start of the autumn term in September from £1.52 per meal to £1.60, and in secondaries from £1.61 to £1.70.

This put the price spent on each meal at 44p, coming in under the Government's target of 50p per meal.

The average national uptake for primary school meals is 45 per cent - in York it is 35 per cent.

City of York Council's client officer, Barbara Kistasamy, said: "We are still considering how best to spend the money and will be consulting with the catering contractors, schools and governors on how best to improve school meals in York."

Updated: 10:54 Friday, August 26, 2005