Funding to help feed children in need during school holidays will not be available to cover Christmas, Easter or the October break, West Dunbartonshire councillors have been told.

There are concerns there will not be funding to help local groups with ‘holiday hunger’ programmes next summer either after funding was withdrawn from the Scottish Government.

In 2023 the local authority agreed to continue supporting the Holiday Hunger Fund to ensure the provision of free meals and social activities for school children over holiday periods, throughout the area.

This year families across West Dunbartonshire benefited from a record number of free summer holiday activities and lunches this year and the council invested £100,000 to ensure there was a range of events for children and young people to participate in over the holiday period.

The popular programme, which saw local groups bidding for funding to host events, offered 13,000 places, including places for children with additional support needs and supplied more than 16,000 lunches and snacks.

The council is now looking at how it can work with a range of wider council services for next summer but as all the funding was used to support the summer sessions, there will be no support provided to partners for October or Christmas holiday periods this year.

During a recent education meeting, councillor Clare Steel praised the work done over the summer and said the meals helped bring struggling families closer together.

“I am concerned that there has been no funding this year from the Scottish Government to support the holiday programmes and I suppose the money, the £100,000 our service put in from the cost of living group, all that money has been spent on the summer programmes,” she said.

“Can I just confirm there is no October week, no Christmas and no Easter as well?”

A council officer confirmed that at this time this is the position the council is in.

Councillor Fiona Hennebry added: “I would also like to note my concern as we go into the October week, Christmas and Easter Holidays that the Scottish Government has not come forward with any funding for this.

“It is extremely disappointing given the levels of deprivation and poverty within West Dunbartonshire and across Scotland as a whole with regards to the cost of living crisis.”

The funding this year enabled Digital Bellsmyre to run virtual reality and gaming sessions, training sessions at the Vale of Leven Football Academy as well as breakfast clubs, family lunch clubs, BBQs and other fun activity sessions.

Rock Community Church’s Olympic themed family sessions at the Phoenix Centre welcomed 600 local children and their families and Flourishing Faifley provided 14 nature and craft sessions for families while Strathclyde Autistic Society provided activities and trips for 600 children and young people with autism and their families.

West Dunbartonshire Community Foodshare also supported the programme by providing 700 families struggling with the cost-of-living crisis with brunch bags that covered breakfast and lunch for a week.

Following the meeting Laura Mason, chief education officer, said: “A huge amount of work goes into organising the programme and I would like to thank everyone involved in offering an extensive range of engaging activities at no cost to parents.

“It is particularly pleasing to hear the feedback from children and young people and their families who attended this year’s events and how valuable they find the programme.

“This has been our most popular programme yet with places for 13,000 children and 16,000 lunches and snacks which support our families who need it most.

“I would like to thank all the organisations who worked in partnership with the council in offering fun and engaging programmes and meals over the holidays.”