Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact on the delivery of the Holiday Activities and Food programme in Walsall Borough of incorporating funding for that programme into the Children, Families and Youth Grant from 2026–27; and what steps are being taken to ensure that the change does not reduce the number, geographical coverage or duration of holiday activity places available in the borough.

Holiday activities and food (HAF) programme funding, including the local authority capacity support funding, is now part of the wider children’s, youth and families grant, which is delivered through the Local Government Finance Settlement (LGFS), in line with the government’s commitment to simplify the local government funding landscape.

HAF funding is ringfenced, within the Children, Families and Youth Grant, as part of the LGFS with attached grant conditions. The 3-year funding settlement provides greater stability and certainty for local authorities, enabling longer-term planning and investment to drive more effective and efficient delivery. The HAF programme is allocating over £600 million via the LGFS, between 1 April 2026 and 31 March 2029.