Tower Hamlets provides the best free school meals in the country, according to an industry awards panel of judges.

The council’s Contract Services team, which gives lunch to 24,000 children every day, was named Catering Business of the Year at the annual Lead Association for Education Catering Awards (LACA), the Oscars of the school catering industry.

Judges at the awards ceremony on July 10 in Birmingham said the prestigious award was given to recognise the team’s “outstanding” contribution to catering for local schools.

It comes ahead of the council’s plans to provide free school meals to all primary school pupils.

Lutfur Rahman, Mayor of Tower Hamlets, said: “I am hugely proud of this award and cannot thank the Contract Services team enough for all their hard work.

“Our schools are rightly regarded as being among the best in the country, if not the world, and providing children with hot, healthy, nutritious meals is a significant factor in this success.”

The council supplies freshly cooked meals for almost all 100 primary and secondary schools in the borough.

Michael Hales, manager of the Contract Services team, said: “My team and I are absolutely delighted to have been recognised in this way.

“It demonstrates the dedication and commitment that all the catering team.”

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