- The Chancellor sees positive impacts of healthy food and
activities on children during the summer, at a visit to a
government-funded Holiday Activities and Food club.
- Visit comes alongside a further series of cost of living
deals announced to provide extra support to families as kids
return to school.
- Following the release of July’s inflation statistics,
also reaffirms his
commitment to get inflation under control through strong,
independent monetary policy, responsible tax and spending
decisions, and reforms to boost productivity and growth.
The Chancellor visited a school holiday club in London where he
saw the positive impacts of healthy food and extra-curricular
activities on young people, as he committed to continuing to help
families with the cost of living.
met a number of young people
on Wednesday 17 August taking part in sports and dance activities
and discussed how the scheme at Sydenham School, funded through
the Government’s Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) club, was
improving wellbeing, behaviour and social skills.
In response to the latest ONS statistics, which show inflation
reached 10.1% in the 12 months to July, up from 9.4% in June, the
Chancellor reaffirmed that working alongside the independent Bank
of England to get inflation under control was his “top priority”.
The visit comes as a further series of cost of living deals have
been secured by Cost of Living Business Tsar David Buttress, to
provide extra support to families as kids return to school, as
part of the Government’s Help for Households campaign.
Chancellor of the Exchequer said:
“It’s fantastic to be here at Sydenham School
to meet young people who are benefiting from our Holiday
Activities and Food programme. Holiday clubs like this not only
provide a nutritious meal but also the chance to take part in
activities they may not otherwise have exposure to, such as music
lessons, cookery classes or the arts.
“I know times are tough and people are concerned about rising
prices. That’s why we have continually taken action to help
households including £1,200 of extra support for eight million of
the most vulnerable households and £400 off energy bills for
everyone over the winter.
“We are doing all we can to support families and I am
delighted that more retailers have got on board with our Help for
Households campaign, offering some brilliant discounts on back to
school essentials”.
The back to school offers include a bespoke new deal with the
publishing firm Scholastic, who are offering 20% off children’s
books and a curated set of Back to School deals from Amazon,
including up to 30% off Clarks School Shoes and deals on
stationary. Amazon Fresh is also offering savings, from lunchbox
essentials to laundry detergent.
A number of other Help for Households partners, including Marks
& Spencer, Primark, Shoezone, ZSL and Go-ahead have also
agreed to promote their existing support schemes under the Help
for Households campaign to raise awareness.
Anyone can visit the Help for Households website to access the
full range deals.
The Government is also supporting working parents as their
children go back to school this autumn with up to £2,000 a year
towards their child’s wraparound care.
In June 2022, approximately 391,000 working families benefitted
from Tax-Free Childcare, receiving a share of £41.6 million in
government top-up payments – but thousands more could be missing
out.
Families can find out what childcare support is
best for them via Childcare Choices.
Notes to editors
- The HAF scheme is backed by over £200 million each year and
runs in the Easter, Summer and Christmas school holidays. It was
extended to become a national programme in 2021, to provide free
activities and meals for children from disadvantaged backgrounds,
with flexibility for councils about how they can best serve the
needs of children and families in their area.
