Bradford, the city where school dinners were invented, cannot afford to offer all primary pupils free meals – but hopes the Government will, a senior politician has said.

Councillor Ralph Berry, portfolio holder for children and young people’s services, welcomed a review which yesterday called for free lunches to be offered to all pupils up to 11, in a bid to improve health and raise classroom standards.

The review has called for free meals to be extended to all primary schools, starting in the most deprived areas of England.

Bradford Council’s plan to run a pilot scheme offering free school meals for all was scrapped by the Department for Education in 2011.

The Government has agreed to look at yesterday’s free school meals suggestion, and it is understood that Education Secretary Michael Gove is supportive.

The review, by Henry Dimbleby and John Vincent, co-founders of the Leon restaurant chain, also suggested headteachers ban packed lunches.

Coun Berry said older pupils often had no choice but to take their own food to school.

“Some secondary schools don’t give pupils enough time to eat a school dinner. That was certainly the case with my son,” he said.

He said there was no debate to be had on outlawing pack-ups.

“You need to educate and encourage people. I don’t think in this society you can be telling people they can’t have packed lunches. It’s a dead debate,” he said.

Coun Berry said children should be given at least half an hour to sit down and eat lunch. He believes that Bradford’s child obesity problem could start to be tackled by pupils and staff eating a good meal together.

Brian Lightman, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders agreed.

“Encouraging all students to eat a nutritious, hot school lunch is the right aim, but it is not always feasible,” he said.

Margaret McMillan, an educationalist who moved to Bradford from America, lobbied Parliament for the introduction of free school meals more than a century ago. A campaign for free school meals, backed by Bradford MP Fred Jowett, was successful under the 1906 Provision of School Meals Act.

The country’s first free school meals were served at Green Lane Primary School, Manningham.

Mr Gove tasked restaurateurs with investigating the state of school dinners last year.

The review said: “We believe that there is enough evidence to justify the partial introduction of universal free school meals.”

The move would mean almost three million extra children eating free lunches nationally and would cost almost £1bn.

In Bradford, no school has fewer than five per cent of children on free school meals. In the district’s primary schools, a two-course meal costs £1.55 and in secondary schools about £2.15.

The report said the take-up of school dinners nationally is 43 per cent. In Bradford, for 2011-12, the figure was 56.5 per cent.