Government fails to confirm future of Half Term Activities Fund
The new government has failed to confirm whether it will continue to fund a vital scheme which has provided thousands of Shropshire children with healthy food and enriching activities during the school holidays. The Half-Term Activities Fund has been delivered in Shropshire since 2021, thanks to funding from the last government. It is due to end in December, if further funding is not provided.
Stuart Anderson MP has raised questions in Parliament and written to Ministers, calling for clarification on the future of the scheme. A response published on 13th September simply states that the Fund is “subject to the next government Spending Review.” Stuart has said that the response is “disappointing”, giving local leaders little time to plan ahead, as the Budget is not due to 31st October.
Stuart has been a vocal supporter of the Fund, which provides free childcare places to children from low-income families - benefiting their health, wellbeing and learning. Last year, over 7,000 school aged children and young people in Shropshire benefited from the scheme, with demand rapidly growing. The Council has develops a network of partners in the private, voluntary, and public sectors to deliver the programme. In August, Stuart visited one of the holiday clubs in South Shropshire, at St Lawrence Primary School in Church Stretton.
The HAF programme was rolled out nationally in England to all areas in 2021 and has run through the Easter, Summer and Christmas school holidays each year. Over 680,000 children and young people attended the programme last summer, with over 10,000 clubs, events or organised activities across the country. Under the previous government, more than £200 million funding per year was provided to local authorities for the Fund. This provided 11.3 million days of enriching activities with healthy food to children and young people.
Stuart Anderson MP said:
“Across South Shropshire, thousands of children have benefited from healthy food and enriching activities during the school holidays - thanks to a £2 million investment by the last government. I am disappointed that the new government has not committed to continuing with the scheme, despite its huge success. The government has deferred the decision to the budget at the end of October, meaning local leaders do not have the certainty they need to plan ahead. I hope that the government will ultimately continue with this hugely valuable scheme.”
The programme is targeted primarily towards children who receive benefits-related free school meals (FSM). This can include children from families where parents are working on low incomes and are in receipt of Universal Credit.
