A LEADING union official has accused the council of spinning' the situation as a victory for the authority and described Cllr Loakes' apparent delight at last Thursday's town hall demonstration as "bizarre".

NUT Waltham Forest President Steve White was critical of comments in a letter to parents that media reports of the school meals service crisis had been inaccurate.

The letter, signed by council leader Cllr Clyde Loakes and deputy Cllr Keith Rayner, does not detail in what way they believe media reports had been inaccurate, nor mention that the authority has now changed its mind and will be subsidising the school meals service for one more year.

Mr White said: "I find it very interesting that the so- called inaccuracies' have not been developed in any detail whatsoever.

"While I am very pleased that the council wishes to continue the school meal service, once again there is some economy with the truth.

"Why is there no mention about the council's commitment to only subsidising the service until 2009 in the letter?"

He said: "The council is not telling the real story. The real story of this school meals situation has been all the stuff in the Guardian, and the organisation by the unions that finished up in a demonstration outside the town hall."

Mr White said that if the council was serious about improving school meals it would increase the subsidy and make a long-term commitment to funding school meals provision, not just for one year.

A council spokeswoman denied that the council has made a u-turn, saying the authority was always in negotations with schools.

And the authority's WFM newsletter said in a story entitled "The Real Story on School Meals" that hot and healthy schools continued to be on the menu "despite recent media reports".

Cllr Clyde Loakes said that the authority has been talking to schools since January and there has been a "degree of misinformation" about the school meals situation.

Cllr Loakes told protestors at the town hall last Thursday: "Tonight's demonstration has been organised to fill a vacuum caused by a lack of communication about what was really going on.

"We have come to an agreement and I am sure we will be held to account."