Publication - Research and analysis
Funded early learning and childcare - sustainable rates 2025-2026: data collection report
Sets out information provided by local authorities on the sustainable rates they have set for providers in the private, third and childminding sectors to deliver funded early learning and childcare (ELC) in line with guidance published for setting these sustainable rates.
Annex B
Funding Arrangements for Delivery of Free Meals
- The Sustainable Rate Setting Guidance states that funding to deliver the free meal commitment will be additional to the sustainable rate for funded providers. Local authorities must continue to ensure that they are transparent as to the funding being provided to private and third sector providers for the delivery of the free meal commitment.
- Local authorities may fund the free meal commitment by providing funding as a separate payment per meal, or as a ‘top-up’ to the sustainable rate. As part of the implementation of the Sustainable Rates Review, the joint 2025-26 Sustainable Rates Guidance encouraged local authorities to make progress towards setting separate rates for meal payments to improve clarity and transparency for providers, ahead of fully embedding this within the rate-setting process from 2026-27.
- Local authorities may alternatively meet the free meal commitment by providing appropriate meals directly from in-house catering.
- Table B1 sets out information on the payments made to funded providers to deliver the free meal commitment in 2024-25 and 2025-26. Additional contextual information is provided in the comments column.
- Some local authorities also reported that they paid a separate rate to childminders. Where this is the case, the information is provided in the footnotes beneath Tables B1 and B2.
- The Scottish Milk and Healthy Snack Scheme offers funding for a daily portion of plain fresh cow's milk (or specified alternative) and a healthy snack (fresh fruit or vegetables) for pre-school children spending 2 hours or more in the care of a regulated day care provider and/or childminder that has registered for the Scheme.
- The payments for the Scottish Milk and Healthy Snack Scheme are delivered separately from the free meal commitment and are not covered in this report.
Table B1: Overview of funding for settings delivering free meals using a separate rate for children receiving funded ELC in 2024-25 and 2025-26.
| Local Authority | 2024-25 | 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen City Council | £ 3.00 | £ 3.00 |
| Aberdeenshire Council | £ 2.96 | £ 3.07 |
| Angus Council | £ 3.00 | £ 3.00 |
| Argyll and Bute Council | £ 4.23 | £ 4.23 |
| City of Edinburgh Council | £ 3.10 | £ 3.65 |
| Comhairle nan Eilean Siar | £ 2.00 | £ 2.00 |
| Dumfries and Galloway Council | £ 3.00 | £ 3.07 |
| Dundee City Council | £ 2.15 | £ 2.40 |
| East Ayrshire Council | £ 3.00 | £ 3.00 |
| Glasgow City Council | £ 3.00 | £ 3.00 |
| Highland Council | £ 3.00 | £ 3.10 |
| Inverclyde Council | N/A | £ 3.00 |
| North Ayrshire Council | £ 3.00 | £ 3.09 |
| North Lanarkshire Council | £ 3.00 | £ 3.00 |
| Orkney Islands Council | £ 2.60 | £ 2.90 |
| Perth and Kinross Council | £ 3.00 | £ 3.00 |
| Renfrewshire Council[7] | £ 3.00 | £ 3.00 |
| Scottish Borders Council[8] | £ 2.64 | £ 2.90 |
| Shetland Islands Council | £ 2.33 | £ 2.43 |
| South Ayrshire Council | £ 3.11 | £ 3.11 |
| Moray Council | £ 2.35 | £ 2.44 |
| West Dunbartonshire Council | £ 3.00 | £ 3.00 |
Table B2: Overview of funding for settings delivering free meals via a top up to the Sustainable Rate for children receiving funded ELC in 2024-25 and 2025-26.
| Local Authority | 2024-25 | 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|
| Clackmannanshire Council | £ 0.50 | £ 0.50 |
| East Dunbartonshire Council | £ 0.50 | £ 0.52 |
| East Lothian Council | £ 0.35 | £ 0.35 |
| East Renfrewshire Council[9] | £ 0.57 | £ 0.57 |
| Falkirk Council[10] | £ 0.43 | £ 0.45 |
| Fife Council | £ 0.40 | £ 0.42 |
| Inverclyde Council | £ 0.50 | N/A |
| Midlothian Council | £ 0.43 | £ 0.45 |
| South Lanarkshire Council | £ 0.50 | £ 0.50 |
| Stirling Council | £ 0.43 | £ 0.45 |
Contact
Email: elc@gov.scot