Meals of Wheels in Portsmouth is back in action after 'disastrous' management change

Portsmouth City Council said a temporary arrangement through which 'a mixture of providers' distribute meals would be in place until a permanent replacement is found in the summer.

About 160 people in the city use the service which until the end of last month had been run by Apetito after the council rejected its request to hike meal prices from £5.50 to £8, instead favouring the use of the Duke of Buckingham.

But a start, which a pub manager admitted had been a ‘disaster’, saw the council end the new arrangement after less than a week due to a series of delivery issues.

A council spokesman said they had been ‘let down’ by the business and said they had 'significant concerns' that the pub would 'not be able to deliver the quality of service that we expect'.

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Director of adult social care Andy Biddle said 'initial challenges' included 'local providers not responding to our contacts, inaccurate information being handed over from the existing provider and difficulty with setting up some payment details'.

Council staff, alongside a care agency, were used to help deliver meals after the contract was withdrawn but said some meal recipients could only be given cold meals for about a week.

A spokesman for Apetito said they had been contacted by the council about helping support the service 'in the short term' but said the firm was unable to help, having closed its depot and made staff redundant after losing the contract.

Sonja Thacker, one of six employees to have lost their jobs, said she laid the blame 'solely at the feet of the council'.

'It's disgusting,' she said. 'Meals on wheels is a vital service but the council was so focused on the money and had no idea how it was run.

'The higher-ups at the council don't understand that it's not just about delivering meals and that's what they found out, at the cost of vulnerable people getting hot meals. It could very easily have taken over the service itself.'

A council spokesman said: 'Hot meals resumed last Monday through a mixture of providers and this will remain the case until we have permanent arrangements in place - we anticipate this will begin in the summer.'