RAGLAN Primary School kitchen, which was due to close when the Easter break begins, will now stay open until the end of July.

This is to allow Monmouthshire County Council, which took the decision to close the facility, time to consult with the Raglan Village Hall committee which put money into the building of the school in the 1980s and used the kitchen for community events like the harvest supper.

There was widespread condemnation of the decision to close the kitchen and ship in meals prepared at Deri View Primary School, Abergavenny. Parents were up in arms and TV chef Matt Tebbutt questioned whether it was good for the children to eat meals prepared in advance and kept warm for an extended period.

The Raglan Community Council also criticised the move and pointed out that the decision would affect many parties as it is also the Community Centre facility.

The council also backed parents who have started a Save Our Kitchen campaign.

A spokesman for Monmouthshire County Council confirmed that the school kitchen will be kept open for another three months.

He said, "The  decision  to keep the Raglan School canteen open until the end of the summer term has been made to allow for consultation between the county council and the Raglan Village Hall and Recreation Association which is understood  to have entered into a deed of covenant with the former Gwent County Council in 1985.

 "As well as consulting further as detailed above, it is hoped that this additional time will enable the council to continue discussions with the school governors."