The Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) party has put forward a major proposal to the Barcelona City Council, aiming to introduce a universal 50% subsidy on school canteen fees for all preschool, primary, and special education students across the city. The ambitious plan, set to be debated in the council’s plenary session this Friday, also seeks to provide 100% coverage for the city’s most vulnerable families, who currently receive a 70% grant.

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The proposal comes in response to what the party describes as a deeply concerning rise in child poverty. According to the latest data from the Statistical Institute of Catalonia (Idescat), nearly half a million children in the region are at risk of poverty or social exclusion. In Barcelona, this figure stands at a stark 40%. The initiative aims to alleviate the financial pressure on families grappling with a cost of living that has soared 32% in the last five years, making Barcelona 38% more expensive than the national average.

A Plan for the ‘Squeezed Middle’

Presenting the measure on Tuesday, ERC’s municipal leader, Elisenda Alamany, framed it as a crucial support for the city’s working families. “We must make visible the working middle class in our city, who today are too rich to be helped and too poor to get by on their own,” she told reporters. The goal, she explained, is to “alleviate the cost of life for families and guarantee that the price of the canteen is not a barrier to access.”

The school canteen, ERC argues, is an “essential service” that guarantees a complete, balanced meal for children on school days and plays a decisive role in reducing social inequality. Figures from the 2022-23 school year show 54,044 pupils use the canteen service in public schools. Of these, roughly half pay the full price, while 17,000 receive 100% funding and another 10,000 have 70% of the cost covered. If ERC’s plan is approved, the 27,000 families currently paying in full would see their costs halved, and the 10,000 receiving partial aid would no longer pay anything.

The measure would apply to all students in infant, primary, and special education at both public and state-subsidised private schools (concertades).

Funding and Political Hurdles

The comprehensive overhaul comes with an estimated annual price tag of €43.5 million. ERC has calculated that extending the scholarships from 70% to 100% would cost €3.5 million, while the universal 50% subsidy for all other pupils would require an additional €40 million.

To finance the plan, which they propose to implement from 2027, the party suggests a co-financing model, splitting the cost evenly between the Barcelona City Council and the regional Government of Catalonia. Alamany pointed to the city’s increased tourist tax surcharge, expected to generate an extra €60 million over the next three years, as a potential source for the council’s share. The other half, she argued, should be covered by the Generalitat, leveraging a potential new financing model for the region.

“The school canteen is a first-order public policy tool that allows us to advance in the universalisation of the midday space,” the party’s proposal states.

However, securing this funding presents a complex political challenge. The demand for the Generalitat’s involvement comes at a time when the regional government, also led by ERC, is struggling to pass its own budget. As Barna.News has reported, the Catalan budget has stalled amid political wrangling, making any new, long-term funding commitments from the regional government uncertain. This makes ERC’s position in the City Council, demanding funding from a government whose budget they are key to passing, a delicate one.

A Two-Pronged Approach

To advance the initiative, ERC is pursuing a dual strategy. In addition to the motion being presented to the Barcelona City Council this week, the party will also introduce a resolution in the Catalan Parliament. This parallel proposal urges the Generalitat to negotiate with the council for a co-financing agreement and to evaluate the budgetary impact of extending the universal 50% subsidy across Catalonia.

The push for widespread subsidies reflects a growing concern over affordability in the city, touching on everything from daily expenses to major life purchases. It follows other municipal efforts to ease financial burdens, such as the new aid for first-time homebuyers and subsidies for electric vehicles. All eyes will now be on Friday’s plenary session to see if this significant social policy gains traction with Mayor Jaume Collboni’s government and other municipal parties.