The Ministry of Finance has pointedly refused to grant Mykolaiv a ₴150 million subsidy for school meals: the city was reminded of the growth in its own revenue

The Ministry of Finance of Ukraine has refused Mykolaiv’s request for 150 million hryvnias to organise school meals in educational institutions. The ministry explained that these expenses for nurseries and vocational education institutions should be funded from the local authority budget, and also highlighted the growth in the city’s budget revenue.

This is stated in a letter from the Ministry of Finance dated 30 June in response to a request from the Mykolaiv City Council, which had asked for an additional subsidy from the state budget to provide meals for children; the letter is in the possession of NikVesti.

The Ministry of Finance noted that free meals for school pupils in frontline areas are already provided through a state subvention. This applies to children attending school in person or via a blended learning format. The ministry also reported that it had approved a draft resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers, which provides for the allocation of this subvention for September–November 2026.

At the same time, meals in nurseries and vocational education institutions are to be funded from the local authority budget.

«Thus, the provision of meals for children in pre-school education institutions must be funded from the local authority budget and other sources not prohibited by law,» the Ministry of Finance notes.

In justifying its refusal, the Ministry of Finance cited figures from Mykolaiv’s budget. According to the ministry, in the first five months of this year, the general fund revenue of the city budget amounted to almost 2.1 billion hryvnias, which is 15.6 per cent, or 283.1 million hryvnias, more than in the same period last year.

Furthermore, revenue from personal income tax, which is the main source of income for the city budget, rose by 19 per cent to 1.2 billion hryvnias.

The Ministry of Finance noted that the government has already allocated 340.2 million hryvnias in additional subsidies to the Mykolaiv region. The Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration will decide how exactly these funds are to be distributed among the local communities.

According to the Ministry of Finance, the state is also supporting local communities in other areas. In particular, funds are being allocated from the state budget for the purchase of school buses, the construction and fitting out of shelters, the «New Ukrainian School» reform, the modernisation of canteens, the refurbishment of workshops and laboratories in vocational education institutions, and other educational projects.

It should be recalled that at the session of the Mykolaiv City Council on 28 May, it was reported that by the end of 2026, the city will be short of almost 150 million hryvnias for school meals in educational institutions. Of this amount, over 109 million hryvnias are required for nurseries, over 33 million hryvnias for co-funding school meals, and a further 7 million hryvnias for special schools and vocational education institutions.

At the time, city councillors appealed to the Cabinet of Ministers and the Verkhovna Rada, requesting that additional funding be allocated to Mykolaiv from the state budget.

Subsequently, the executive committee of the Mykolaiv City Council reallocated 864,500 hryvnias for meals in nurseries. City Hall noted that these funds would only last until the end of summer, after which the city council would seek additional funding.

There is a shortfall in Mykolaiv’s budget. What is known?

As a reminder, six months ago the Mykolaiv City Council appealed to the government and the Verkhovna Rada requesting an additional grant for the city from the state budget. According to the city authorities’ estimates, the city’s own budget revenue for 2026 covers only 82.5 per cent of actual needs, whilst the funding shortfall exceeds 1.14 billion hryvnias.

Back at the start of the year, Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych reported that the Ministry of Finance would analyse Mykolaiv’s financial situation to assess the city’s need for additional funding. At the same time, he emphasised that the final decision depends not only on the Ministry of Finance’s calculations but also on the political will of parliament.

According to the mayor, the city has not yet received an official response to its request. During Ukrainian Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko’s most recent visit to Mykolaiv, he raised this issue once again. According to Oleksandr Sienkevych, the request was forwarded to the Ministry of Finance, which is continuing to analyse the city’s budget.

Due to the lack of additional funding, the city is already preparing to reallocate its own funds. In particular, this concerns providing free meals for children in schools and nurseries.

«We will have to see where we can free up and reallocate funds for children’s meals. But this is a critical situation. No matter how much we reallocate, it won’t create any more money. By the end of the year, there will be nothing left,» concluded Oleksandr Sienkevych.

Earlier, Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych stated that Mykolaiv’s budget for 2026 is a «survival budget» and does not cover all the community’s needs. According to him, the city lacks the funds to implement the state-initiated pay rise for teachers, to pay for utilities, to repair roads and to cover other expenses.