Gavin Williamson’s department will have paid £615m to the French company despite warnings about its capacity to deliver
Gavin Williamson, the education secretary, is facing criticism for awarding another £190m contract to a company blamed for the problems with a school meals voucher system that left families without food during the first lockdown.
The French company Edenred’s new contract, revealed on the government’s website, appears to bring its total income from the scheme to £615m since the pandemic began. However, the actual amount spent on it is understood to be considerably less. An earlier investigation into the scheme by the National Audit Office (NAO) found that previous contracts had been signed with the company despite “limited evidence” of its capacity to deliver. Edenred said every pound of the new contract would be converted into an equivalent amount in vouchers.
