Ministers are to safeguard the Marcus Rashford-inspired scheme providing food and activities to vulnerable children during school holidays for another year, following concerns it could fall victim to a desperate search for savings across Whitehall.
More than a million people signed a petition from the Manchester United star calling for the scheme after a huge grassroots campaign in 2020.
The previous government eventually rolled out the £200m-a-year holiday activities and food (HAF) programme after pressure from Keir Starmer and his shadow ministers.
Concerns over its future had been escalating in recent weeks. Funding was set to expire this spring, with local authorities left in the dark by the government about its future. Public health chiefs have been among those raising the alarm, warning that removing the programme would lead to greater poverty, hit school attendance and damage child nutrition.
Among those who expressed concerns was Henry Dimbleby, the founder of Leon restaurants, who oversaw the previous government’s national food strategy. The strategy included a demand for the national holiday programme. He told the Observer that axing it would have been “a political miscalculation that would make the row over winter fuel payments look like a storm in a teacup”.
However, after the Observer’s inquiries about the programme, the Department for Education said that it was to be extended for another year. “The existing Holidays Activities and Food offer is hugely valuable in making sure disadvantaged children get a hot meal and social activities during the holidays,” a spokesperson said.
“The programme has had a huge impact on hundreds of children, which is why we are committing over £200m for the next year – ensuring children have access to high-quality holiday clubs and food so they can achieve the best possible life chances.”
It comes as departments across Whitehall are expecting to be told to find savings at the forthcoming spending review, as chancellor Rachel Reeves grapples with tightening public finances. While spending limits have been set for the coming year, ministers have complained that it has become hard to make longer-term decisions about any programmes until a pivotal public spending review in June.
Rashford, whose mother Melanie had multiple jobs to support her family during his childhood in Wythenshawe, Manchester, won national acclaim after campaigning for the school holiday provision during the pandemic. He said the programme was needed because he did not want “any child to go through what I went through, and any parent to experience what my mother experienced”.
Activities arranged under the scheme have included a variety of sports, as well as crafts, photography, cooking, coding and drama. Hot lunches were included, with some providers opting to provide breakfast or dinners instead. Local concerns about the scheme’s future had been growing for weeks. A letter from Southwark council to youth service providers, reported by the London Centric website, said there was “currently no indication from central government” that more money will be made available.
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Arooj Shah, Labour leader of Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council and chair of the Local Government Association’s children and young people board, said the programme had already proved highly effective, successfully reaching “pupils who are persistent school absentees or at risk of absence”.
“Councils cannot afford to replace this funding if it is discontinued and are deeply concerned about the impact this will have on the most vulnerable children in their communities, along with the risk of losing experienced staff without adequate time to plan ahead for future provision,” she said. “Extending this funding for at least another year would provide immediate certainty and safeguard valuable support and expertise.”
Shona Goudie, from the Food Foundation, said the programme had been “one of the major successes of Marcus Rashford’s campaign to end child food poverty” that had become a lifeline to some of England’s poorest families. “Beyond just providing critical nourishment, the scheme offers enriching activities to combat learning loss and provides childcare to help hardworking parents who can’t afford to take time off work,” she said.
