Minutes:
Summer Holiday Food Provision
The report provided an update on the progress of the holiday activities and food programme for the year, summarising the delivery over Easter and setting out the arrangements for the summer.
Councillor Russell, Deputy City Mayor presented the report, which built on what had been provided before, to more children, more places, with additional support through Feeding Britain, and also using the Covid Local Support Grant, to particularly work with families including for children with learning and physical disabilities to be able to access the food offer.
The Government had updated its guidance to state that the Holiday Activities and Food Programme funding was only for children that received free school meals during term time which had placed additional pressure on other family budgets, leaving families in significant debt by the end of school holidays. Frustration was felt that the Government should have focussed on food, rather than being tied in with childcare and sending children every day to activity centres. The expansion of provision in the future would also be looked at.
Information on the Easter programme was included in the report, which had included giving out food bags and activities because of Covid.
It was noted that if Ward Councillors had relationships with local schools, they should help broker conversations to get them involved with holiday food provision in all areas of the city. It was further noted that the heat map included in the report showed that the areas in the city with the highest need had in the main some level of provision.
Councillor Russell gave thanks to the team, schools and voluntary sector in the city that had helped to pull the programme together.
Nicola Bassindale, Service Manager, informed the meeting that in terms of numbers, registrations were increasing week on week over the summer as expected. It was reported a lot of children were taken out of school during the last week due to Covid which had an impact on the numbers of children at the start of the school holidays in taking part in activities.
Following Members questions, the following points were made:
· For families having to self-isolate there continued to be the Covid-19 support grant so that any family or individual that needed support, whether for food, utilities or a range of other things, the Covid-19 support email was still in use and continued to supply support through that route.
· Children were regularly divided in school on the basis of whether or not they received school meals, whether it be for trips, etc, and was a system that was not approved of by Members.
· The Council had worked with Feeding Britain to get funding to provide the same offer of meals to children during the school holidays.
· Also observed was a number of provisions across the city that had decided to things a bit differently such as the provision at the Women’s Hockey Club on St Margaret’s Way, run as a holiday club for all children, charging a small amount for those not eligible but free for those on free school meals.
· Adventure playgrounds were able to offer open access to all children.
· The opportunity for children not on school meals but families were on tax credit where the childcare component could cover the cost of activities needed to be explored.
· The Government had put conditions on the funding that 85% of children should be on free school meals.
· There was not a guarantee that all of the city’s children would be fed during the summer. But more children and families than ever would be fed during the school summer holiday. Information had been sent out via schools, and community groups to ensure all parents were made aware. Members were asked that if they knew of any families that required support that they should assist them to get in touch as there were spaces and they would be helped to get booked on.
· Every possible element had been used to make sure the offer was as accessible as possible, to as many people as possible.
· With regards to different languages, schools had been the main point of contact and would be aware of the language needs of families.
The Chair thanked the Deputy City Mayor and officer for the report.
AGREED:
1. That the report be noted.