Letter Warns 500,000 Children May Lose Holiday Food Support Under UK Policy Change

A letter published by The Guardian has raised concerns that approximately 500,000 children in England could lose access to a government-funded holiday support programme due to a recent change in eligibility rules.

The letter, written by Andrew Forsey, states that children who have recently become eligible for means-tested free school meals during term time are being excluded from the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme. According to Forsey, eligibility for HAF has historically been tied to receipt of free school meals since the programme's introduction, but the government has reportedly broken that link.

Forsey wrote that while the government has "rightly acknowledged the need for those children to receive extra help during term time," it has not extended that support into school holidays. He described the HAF programme as providing nutritious meals, enriching activities and free childcare for many families.

The letter argues that working parents earning as little as £7,500 a year could be unable to access the programme under the new eligibility structure, despite their children qualifying for free school meals during the school year. Forsey suggested this could undermine progress made for children during term time, stating that gains "risk being wiped out by this lack of support in the holidays."

The letter draws a comparison to a separate issue covered in an earlier Guardian article about a £100,000 childcare "cliff edge" that reportedly prompts some parents to reduce their working hours. Forsey characterized the situation facing lower-income families as a "similarly cruel cliff edge."

The letter calls on the government to restore the connection between free school meal eligibility and access to the holiday activities and food programme.