The Issue: The Council is returning funding while our kids go without
Through official public data, we have uncovered a shocking multi-year pattern: over the last two financial years combined, West Berkshire Council has quietly sent NEARLY £90,000 (£86,232.88) of central Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) funding completely back to the Government Treasury unspent.
Our latest Freedom of Information (FOI) request confirms that £38,485.10 of that total was sent back from the most recent financial year alone.
Why? Because they admitted they do not proactively track where the staffing shortages are.  Last year, out of nearly 1,000 children supported by the holiday (HAF) programme, only 113 had an EHCP.
Worst of all, the council is allowed to use a 15% discretionary funding allowance to pay for vulnerable children who don't qualify for Free School Meals. Yet, across our entire district, only 19 non-Free School Meal EHCP children were supported.  Our disabled children are being left isolated at home while ring-fenced money is sent back unspent
The Solution: A Collaborative, Flexible Summer Hub
We want the Council to stop wasting this money and use that 15% discretionary budget to set up a centralised Summer SEND Holiday Hub.
They don't have to do it alone. We are asking for a joined-up partnership approach where the council provides a safe, secure venue, and collaborates with trusted local experts—like the likes of Swings & Smiles, Mencap, or other specialist providers—to run it.
Flexible Location Options
We want the council to look across its assets and community partnerships to find a suitable space. If our top choice, The Castle School site, has summer building constraints, they must explore alternative suitable hubs such as:
Dedicated specialist spaces like Brookfields School, West Berkshire Mencap, or Camp Mohawk
Accessible community spaces like Everyone Active Leisure Centres
Existing mainstream school buildings fully equipped with secure, specialist SEND Resource Units
The venue should not stand in the way of our children's rights.
📊 ACTION REQUIRED FOR WEST BERKSHIRE PARENTS:
The Council officially admitted that they hold "no records" of a holiday childcare deficit, do not track 1:1 staffing shortages, and do not record how discretionary holiday funding is spent. Because the council lacks this data, we are gathering it ourselves to present straight to the Council Executive and our MP to prove them wrong!
📝 Take 30 seconds to fill out our quick confidential survey:https://forms.gle/E3SA4SKQh6uxFmTu8
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