School holiday activities in York risk being significantly reduced if Government funding is withdrawn next year, a report has warned.
Childcare places for children from low income families could also be hit.
The government-funded Holiday Activities and Food Programme (HAF) is currently set to end in March after its most popular run to date this summer, according to a City of York Council report.
The scheme funds sports, arts and crafts, drama, dance and cultural activities along with food.
The council report stated new ways of sustaining a meaningful offer for young people in York needed to be explored as a result of the uncertainty.
It comes as the executive is set to discuss plans for a local youth strategy on Thursday (14 November).
The strategy aims in part to help disadvantaged and vulnerable young people and offer them activities to help build skills and relationships with their peers and adults.
It includes plans for a ‘give it a go week’ to showcase different activities for young people in the city, with council funding worth £40,000-a-year proposed for the broader strategy.
Youth zone hope
Council officials are also looking at bidding to the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority for cash to offer young people ‘cultural passports’ and a ‘youth zone’.
The council is also looking at how outside funding has been brought into other areas such as Cumbria and Manchester to support organisations offering activities for young people.
A combination of funding from council grants to wards and cash from other sources currently helps to fund such activities.
The funding goes towards around 40 different organisations that put on the activities, including youth centres, sports clubs, schools, cultural destinations and charities.
The council’s report stated this has been complimented by the HAF programme which launched nationally in 2021 following pilots run from 2018 aimed at children receiving free school meals.
Premier League footballer Marcus Rashford was involved with promoting the HAF in 2021 following his campaigns on free school meals for children during school holidays.
York has received around £1.47m for local activities through the programme since 2021.
A total of £45,752 from this year’s HAF allocation for York has been set aside for 14 projects across the city during the Christmas holidays.
Council figures showed 1,870 took part in the programme during the easter holidays in 2023, with 1,381 joining in summer and 1,520 taking part in Christmas.
But there are currently no plans to extend funding beyond March next year, which was set as the end date for the programme when it first launched.
The council report stated bookings in this year’s summer holidays exceeding previous runs.
It added efforts were also made this year to try and include the children of asylum seekers and refugees.
The report stated: “There is currently some uncertainty as to whether HAF funding will continue beyond March 2025.
“This risks the level of provision being significantly diminished should the programme not be funded through central government resources.
“This underlines again the need for us to find new ways of working together to grow and sustain a meaningful youth offer locally.”