The elderly and vulnerable will be helped to buy food from their favourite restaurant or takeaway after a council scrapped its meals-on-wheels service.
Brent says that allowing them to have meals delivered by local providers will improve choice and save it £300,000 a year.
It will provide its 187 recipients of meals-on-wheels with a payment card pre-loaded with £3.50 a day to cover the delivery costs of each meal.
The residents will also be required to contribute £3.50 a day, with the restaurant receiving £7 — less than the £8.52 the current contractor, Apetito, charges the council.
Krupesh Hirani, Brent’s lead member for adult social care, said its meals-on-wheels service had become uneconomical as demand had fallen.
He said: “Having freshly prepared food from a wider range of smaller outlets puts our customers in control and gives them the power as consumers to demand better quality and value for their money.”
Mr Hirani said there were “massive social benefits” in having food delivered to vulnerable and often isolated residents by members of their own communities.
The Labour-run authority approved the switchover on Monday after a successful pilot scheme in Harlesden.
This saw Harlesden methodist church take responsibility for providing hot or frozen meals to 20 residents seven days a week.
Two charities, Age UK and Elders Voice, looked after the payments for residents unable to do it themselves.
The council also has partnerships with other caterers so that residents can choose from British, Caribbean, Indian, kosher and vegetarian meals.
It is searching for a halal supplier. Caterers will also be asked to provide 1,000 meals a day at Brent day centres.
