GosportNewsPoliticsTop Stories

Gosport MP pushes for holiday funds commitment

By Linden Grigg

GOSPORT MP, Dame Caroline Dinenage, has confirmed that she has written to the Secretary of State for Education as part of an ongoing push for a commitment to continue funding the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme; which will affect children and families across the constituency.

In a letter sent to Labour MP, Bridget Philipson, the local representative wrote about the importance of this funding that is targeted towards supporting families during annual school holidays; including the twenty one percent of children in Gosport who are living below the poverty line.

The HAF Grant is given to Hampshire County Council and partly funds Gosport Borough Council’s Summer Passport Scheme; which has run since 2008 and provides hundreds of children annually with three weeks of free activities during the summer holidays. HAF funding also supports GlobeFit at Newtown Primary School and Y Services for Young People.

Funding has been committed until March 2025 but written questions to the Government have yielded no commitments to continue this beyond the financial year of 2024/25. It has also been raised by Parliamentary colleagues with Labour’s Valerie Vaz (Walsall and Bloxwich) receiving this response from a recent question:

“The department’s budgets for 2025/26 will be confirmed in due course, including the exact funding available for this type of support for children, young people and families during the holidays.’

Ms Dinenage commented after sending the letter: “Every year I see the fantastic opportunities offered to young people in Gosport, Lee on Solent, Stubbington, and Hill Head by the Holiday Activities and Food Programme.”

‘With the school Easter holidays approaching quickly it’s imperative that Councils and staff are given certainty over funding streams so that parents and children know what support is available.”

Shadow Secretary of State for Education, Laura Trott, said: “The Education Secretary seems intent on taking an axe to yet another success of the previous Conservative Government – the Holiday Activities and Food programme. I cannot see any other reason that she would not commit to a programme that was proven to provide financial relief to parents, and that was universally popular among the children who participated, many of whom were on free school meals.”

PICTURED BY CAROLINE DINENAGE MP: Labour Government haven’t offered any commitments to extend funding past March 2025; thus causing concerns for families and multiple MPs.