Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what funding his Department has allocated to South Tyneside Council to provide (a) the holiday activities and food programme and (b) for food and fuel poverty emergency assistance in the last 12 months.

The Department for Education-funded Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme, which has provided healthy food and enriching activities to disadvantaged children, has been expanded to every local authority across England this year – backed by up to £220 million. It builds on previous programmes, including last summer’s programme, which supported around 50,000 children across 17 local authorities.

South Tyneside Council has been allocated a maximum of £831,630 to deliver HAF programmes over Easter, summer and Christmas 2021.

In summer 2020, South Tyneside received £220,000 from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ £63 million grant.

Since 1 December 2020, the Department for Work and Pensions has operated the COVID Winter Grant Scheme, which has subsequently been renamed as the COVID Local Support Grant. Funding has been provided to local authorities in England to support families with food and essential utility bills. On 21 June, the government extended this temporary scheme for a final time, with an additional £160 million in funding through to 30 September, taking total funding under the scheme to £429 million. This funding recognises that, while restrictions are planned to end in July, families might need additional help to get back on their feet as the vaccine rollout continues and our economy recovers. South Tyneside Council has received £1,506,852.06 since 1 December through this scheme.