Hot food is likely to remain off the menu at Oxfordshire County Council's staff canteen, despite requests from some staff.

The former staff restaurant provided a full hot food service until April last year, when the running of the Common Hall Cafe at County Hall was taken over by County Facilities Management.

The new operator decided that hot dinners were no longer viable because the service required a subsidy of £20,000 a year and, according to a report to the executive, was not used by many councillors or staff.

Flooding in the kitchen also meant a return to hot meals would be expensive.

But a recent questionnaire circulated among staff at County Hall, Macclesfield House, Speedwell House, Albion House and the Central Library revealed there was still a demand for hot food.

Keith Mitchell, leader of the council, said he wanted to investigate the possibility of getting equipment to provide hot soup and jacket potatoes, but not three-course meals.

He said: "I'm a big fan of soup and I love chilli and jacket potatoes. It would be nice if we could provide something warming for staff during winter months. I'm sure we could do jacket potatoes in a microwave at not too much expense."

The report to the executive by Jackie Hayes, general manager of County Facilities Management, and property manager Neil Monaghan, concluded that there should be no return to hot meals, but the range of cold snacks should be reviewed.

Last year, city councillors decided to dispense with hot meals during council meetings and make do with sandwiches to save money.