Council cuts number of community meals on wheels drivers and vehicles to save money

Anthony Lewis, local democracy reporter

The number of drivers and vehicles delivering a Welsh council’s meals on wheels service is set to be reduced.

Rhondda Cynon Taf Council is planning to cut the number of community meals on wheels drivers and vehicles from 13 to 11 after a review of the service found that there was spare capacity within the current system.

Deliveries from these two routes will be redistributed across the remaining rounds and the move is set to save a total of £51,239, made up of £39,104 from the removal of the two driver posts and £12,135 from the removal of the two vehicles including hire and fuel costs.

The meals on wheel service has recently undergone a review which considered several aspects of the current service including delivery routes, vehicle use, service demand and operational staffing arrangements.

Operational data such as route information, fleet services vehicle tracking and service delivery round records were analysed and the findings were that, while the service continues to perform well in delivering meals within the required lunchtime window, there is spare capacity within the current delivery model.

In several instances, delivery rounds were completed significantly earlier than the contracted end of the working day and there was evidence of geographical overlap between some delivery rounds.

As a result of the review, it was proposed that the delivery structure was reduced from 13 delivery vehicles to 11 vehicles, with deliveries from two routes redistributed across the remaining rounds.

The revised staffing structure will reduce the number of delivery driver posts from 13 to 11, whilst maintaining the existing management, administration and food regeneration arrangements within the service, the report says.

A council report for the community services scrutiny committee said+ that the remaining vehicles have sufficient capacity to absorb the additional deliveries whilst continuing to operate within contracted working hours and that the changes “will not reduce access to the service for existing service users and the daily welfare check provided by delivery drivers will remain a key element of the service.”

Consultation

A staff consultation process with the 13 delivery drivers, human resources and the unions has finished and the service has received two expressions of interest from delivery driver staff to take enhanced voluntary early retirement with redundancy.

The new staffing structure will be implemented in June 2026.

The council report says: “The proposed changes are intended to ensure that the community meals service remains financially sustainable, whilst continuing to provide an important service and welfare support to vulnerable residents across Rhondda Cynon Taf.”