Are you aware of what the government is doing to tackle holiday hunger?
As most constituents will have read previously, my view on dealing with holiday hunger for children was that we needed a comprehensive, government-funded, local system where councils were given the resources they need to feed children in need in their areas. This is a much more precise, flexible and inclusive system than the PR-friendly proposal of simply extending the free school meals system temporarily. I also made it clear that it had nothing to do with saving money, since the FSM extension was estimated at providing £150million and the alternative measures I supported instead provided over £1billion of support.
I am pleased to see the localised system I supported is having an incredibly positive effect but there is more good news to come for parents worried about next year. On top of the extra £1billion provided to councils last month, the Government has announced long-term, comprehensive measures to feed every child in need over this Winter and next year, including:
£170m for Covid Winter Grant Scheme to support children, families and the most vulnerable over winter.
£220million for Holiday Activities and Food Programme to be expanded, covering Easter, Summer and Christmas in 2021.
Healthy Start payments set to rise from £3.10 to £4.25 a week from April 2021.
Suite of measures represents long-term plan to help tackle poor health, hunger and education across the UK.
Combined, the means the current Government has provided more financial support to children and families than any other Government in our history. I am proud to support these long-term measures and will be working with Wiltshire Council to make sure they have all the support they need to support our local children and families in Wiltshire.
