SALFORD, UK. July 22nd, 2026 – As millions of children across England prepare to break up for the summer holidays this week, new research reveals that most of those entitled to free holiday clubs, activities and a hot meal will get nowhere near them.
Around 2.1 million children in England are entitled to free holiday clubs, activities and a hot meal every day of the school holidays. Last year, fewer than 4 in 10 of them attended even once.
That is the finding of a Money Wellness Freedom of Information (FOI) investigation with 130 local authorities. The Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme costs the government more than £200 million a year. But across the 102 councils that provided usable figures, the median take-up was around 35% of eligible children. A quarter of councils came in below 25%.
Where a child lives decides their chances. In Haringey, 90% of eligible children attended at least one session. In Norfolk – with nearly 30,000 eligible children – just 9% did.
Adam Rolfe, Policy and Public Affairs at Money Wellness, said: “The families we work with are stretched to breaking point over the summer. No childcare, no school meals, bills still coming in. HAF was designed to help exactly those families. The fact that most of them never get a place isn’t a data quirk; it’s a failure of delivery.”
| Haringey | 90% | Norfolk | 9%
| Sheffield | 79% | Leicestershire | 12%
| Blackburn with Darwen | 76% | Thurrock | 12%
| Calderdale | 76% | Sutton | 12%
| Northumberland | 74% | Brent | 13%
| Wigan | 71% | Essex | 13%
| Trafford | 68% | Tower Hamlets | 13%
| Sefton | 67% | West Sussex | 16%
| Manchester | 65% | Nottingham | 16%
| Hillingdon | 64% | Hounslow | 16%
Despite low overall attendance, nearly all councils (90%) applied waiting lists, caps, or both. At least 17 put a ceiling on how many sessions each child could book – typically four days at Easter and Christmas and around 16 in summer. The full entitlement is meant to cover six weeks of holidays.
The two findings sit together uncomfortably. Most eligible children never attend, yet the councils that do have take-up apply rationing almost universally. The explanation is that demand is uneven: popular providers in convenient locations fill quickly, while the programme as a whole has unused capacity elsewhere. Children in the right place at the right time get in. Many others don’t.
“Waiting lists and caps make sense when budgets are tight. But they are a rationing system for a programme that is supposed to reach every child in poverty. And as booking moves entirely online, the families who struggle most with a smartphone or a booking portal are the ones getting left behind.”
Nine in ten councils now use a digital booking platform, typically issuing families a unique code to log on and claim a place. Several councils acknowledged that families without reliable internet, a device, or the confidence to navigate the system can lose out entirely. A handful kept open referral routes for those families. Most did not.
Money Wellness is calling on the government to set a national minimum expectation for HAF take-up, require all councils to maintain non-digital booking routes, and publish consistent, comparable attendance data so that low-performing councils can be held to account.
HAF schemes are run locally, so the first step is always your own council, not a national website. Search your council’s name plus “hol holiday activities” or “summer holiday programme”, as most areas brand their scheme differently and rarely use the term “HAF” itself.
Children in reception to Year 11 who receive benefits-related free school meals are automatically eligible. Some councils also fund a discretionary place for children they judge would benefit, even if they’re not on free school meals, so it’s worth asking even if you’re not sure your child qualifies.
Most councils issue an access code linked to your child’s free school meals record, which you use to book online. If your child is eligible but you haven’t received a code, contact the council’s HAF team or your child’s school directly. Codes aren’t always sent automatically and a quick call can resolve it.
Apply as early as possible. Popular clubs in convenient locations fill up within days of bookings opening, and the majority of councils operate waiting lists once places are gone.
If your council has no digital access, or you’re struggling to use the booking system, ask to be referred by your child’s school, a health visitor, or a local family support worker. Several councils keep these routes open specifically for families who can’t book online, even where they’re not advertised.
