Children most in need across the country will be kept from going
hungry during the school holidays thanks to funding announced in
the Spending Review.
This latest support for children will be delivered under a new £1
billion package – including Barnett consequentials funding – to
reform crisis support, including the launch of a new Crisis and
Resilience Fund.
As a multi-year deal, the Fund will for the first time give
councils much needed certainty to protect households from falling
into crisis and to provide vital support to those who need it
most.
Local authorities will be empowered to best target support in
their areas – including allocating funding to ensure children
receive meals outside of term time.
Other examples could include bringing together existing services
to deliver joined-up support such as on debt advice, income
maximisation, budgeting and welfare support.
The ambition to ensure no child goes hungry builds on the
government's pledge to ensure 500,000 more children become
eligible for free school meals following the major expansion to
breakfast clubs in England.
Children who are most in need already receive meals out of term
time via the government's Holiday Activities and Food
(HAF) programme
and the latest funding will extend this even further.
This marks a significant step in the government's ambition to
reduce child poverty and to end the mass dependence on emergency
food parcels.
Work and Pensions Secretary said:
No child should be left to go hungry and we are determined to do
whatever it takes to tackle this issue.
Our commitment to feeding children most in need builds on
measures like our expansion of free school meals – and we will be
going further in our Child Poverty Strategy.
The funding we have secured is a major part of our Plan for
Change and will help ensure left behind families across the
country can look forward to a brighter future.
Education Secretary said:
This government is committed to delivering excellence for every
child.
That is why, as part of our Plan for Change, we are rolling out
free breakfast clubs and extending free school meals to deliver
better life chances for all of our children.
The only hunger a child should have is a hunger to learn – we
will make sure children's backgrounds should not determine where
they end up.
The new Crisis and Resilience Fund will replace the Household
Support Fund and launch from April 2026 – incorporating
Discretionary Housing Payments.
The funding represents a total of £1 billion including Barnett
consequentials – with £842 million allocated to England.
An allocation will go towards food support and meals to children
during the holidays. Details will be set out in due course.
This comes alongside wider action to tackle poverty and make
everyone better off – including increasing the National Minimum
Wage for those on the lowest incomes and uprating benefits.
The government has also introduced a cap on how much Universal
Credit can be taken for debt repayments – helping 1.2 million
households become up to £420 better off.
Alongside this, the best route out of poverty for struggling
families is well paid, secure work. That's why the Government is
delivering on its Get Britain Working reforms, to support people
into good jobs, boost living standards and put money back into
families' pockets.
Additional Information:
-
A total of £1 billion to reform crisis support (including
£842 million for England) has been announced in the Spending
Review.
-
This includes funding for the new Crisis and Resilience Fund
incorporating Discretionary Housing Payments as well as
investment in ensuring the poorest children don't go hungry
in the holidays.
