Waste service strike

A number of Tower Hamlets Council frontline waste service workers and street cleansers will be going on strike from 18 September to 1 October due to a national pay dispute.  

Despite the council working to maintain services for residents, the strike will impact collections and cleansing across the borough. We apologise in advance for the disruption this will cause. 

Find out more about the strike.


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School catering

The council provides a school catering service through Contract Catering Services which is a non-profit organisation within the Tower Hamlets’ Childrens Services Directorate.

Contract Catering service employs 350 staff and provides meals for 50 primary schools, 11 nurseries and selected special and secondary schools in the borough.

We serve on average 17,000 meals a day and all of our meals are freshly cooked healthy and inspiring.

Contract Catering Services aims to offer a value for money service to schools and continuously considers innovative ways in which the catering service can be improved. An SLA Agreement with schools is set up for the service with renewals negotiated with the schools annually.

School menus

All ingredients used in our menus are halal and Contract Catering Services holds The Soil Association’s Food for Life Silver Award. This means that we provide high-quality local food with ethically and sustainably sourced ingredients.

At least five per cent of the budget goes towards organic food items and the award also shows that we exceed the government’s minimum standard for school meals.

Lunch themes and celebrating cultures

Each day, our school lunches follow a theme such as “Planet Earth Day” which is our meat free day or ‘Traditional’, which is dedicated to British classics such as the roast dinner - by far and away the children’s favourite.

We also celebrate other global cultures and cuisines ranging from African to Italian and Japanese to American.

The themes are important, reflecting the diversity of our local population and catering to every religion, culture and palate in Tower Hamlets. We also cater for a growing range of allergies/special diets and we have a specialist Barts NHS nutritionist who prepares customised menus for children with allergies.

Menu options and allergen chart

A sample of the Contract Catering Services makes a significant daily contribution to the health and well-being of Tower Hamlets children. We are proud to be a valued school meals provider to the council.

Download the schools and families menu and the allergen chart.

Please refer to your own school website for your school’s menu as some dishes maybe subject to change to suit individual school needs.

Meeting rooms and hospitality

Contract Catering Services also supplies the following:

Training and meeting rooms

Two large rooms with seating for upto 25 people each, is available at Toby Lane council offices. Both rooms can be used for training or meetings and the use of IT screens and flipcharts are included in the price.

The Toby Lane council office meeting rooms are available from 8am – 4pm and are charged at the following rates

  • Half day: £75
  • Full day: £150

Refreshments, including lunch can be ordered from the hospitality/functions menu. If you require further information please call our offices on 020 7364 5172 or 6138.