Stockton children's food and holiday programme poorly attended
The council select committee report found the booking system was not "user friendly".It also found parents and professionals did not know about the programme and many people did not realise they were eligible to take part, despite numerous promotion efforts.
It also found low numbers of secondary school children and children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) were not taking up places, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. The council said the programme offered an "astonishing" range of activities and it was working on providing SEND-only sessions in future.Select committee chair Carol Clark said: "These activities allow our children to have fun and make new friends as well supporting their development, including lifelong learning."The council is now considering 16 recommendations including a better booking system and promoting HAF with parish and town councils.
Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
17 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Young people turn to lodging to beat rising rents
Young people are becoming lodgers in ever greater numbers to beat rising rents, research reveals. Data from SpareRoom has found the number of young people becoming lodgers has risen by 50 per cent in just three years. Lodgers, who live in their landlord's home, pay around 17 per cent less than the average renter but can be evicted more easily. Many also end up having to go to bed early and endure bans on partners staying overnight and compulsory pet-sitting. But many reported feeling trapped by bizarre rules set by their landlords. Lina, 33, said: 'When you're a lodger, you're basically at their mercy. You have to do what they say, and they're always watching you. It can feel like they're invading your privacy.' James, 29, whose name has been changed to protect his identity, said his bedroom had no door, that he was not allowed to bring his partner back to the flat, and was told after he arrived that the landlord's girlfriend would be moving in with them. He said he was also told to stop all noise after 9pm because his bedroom was directly above the landlord's. 'I was sort of trapped in my room. I couldn't even go for a wee or anything like that. It was really bad,' he said. 'If I went downstairs to brush my teeth, he would get annoyed. Anna, 26, whose name has also been changed, said she had no other option but to become one as she had no reference or guarantor in Britain after moving from Norway for a master's course. She said the arrangement was her only option. She moved into a property she found on a Facebook group for Norwegians in London, but soon ran into issues. Her bedroom had no lock, she had to take care of her landlord's dog when she went away and had to give an advanced warning if a friend was coming to visit. All friends had to be women and visit during the day under the rules. She also said her landlord installed a camera by the front door. Anna recalled: 'She said to me twice, 'Just so you know, I got the camera so I can see who comes in and who doesn't come out when I'm not home'.' A government spokesperson told The Times: 'Our Renters' Rights Bill will transform the private rental sector in England, bringing greater security to millions of renters. 'Lodgers live in the landlord's home, rather than a rental property. But we know that this is an evolving sector which is why the Bill will allow us to extend protections and rights to new tenures like lodgers in the future. We continue to keep this under review.'
BBC News
17 minutes ago
- BBC News
Special legal protection announced for Orkney shipwreck sites
Legal protection has been announced to preserve what remains of World War One warships in Scapa Bay off 52-strong German High Seas fleet was scuttled - deliberately sunk - by its crews in 1919 when the commander, Admiral Ludwig von Reuter, mistakenly thought peace talks had of the vessels have been salvaged over the years along with many artefacts including ships' bells, navigational equipment and even musical historic Marine Protected Area (MPA) designation, announced by the Scottish government, will now make it a criminal offence to remove items from the sites. Orkney Islands Council, which has been pushing for historic MPA status for many years, assessed that the wrecks were vulnerable and there was a risk of losing "features of historical importance." The British warships sunk in Scapa Flow - HMS Royal Oak and HMS Vanguard - are classified as war graves and special permission is needed from the Ministry of Defence to visit the German fleet, and other wrecks in the waters around Orkney, have become popular diving decades items were allowed to be removed as long as their recovery was meant hundreds of items had been added to private collections or become museum pieces. Queen of Sweden In 2001, Historic Scotland designated seven wrecks from the German fleet as nationally important scheduled monuments meaning divers could only visit them on a "look but don't touch" historic MPA status widens that protection to other ships and creates additional legal powers against anyone removing items from within the Secretary Gillian Martin said the designation would protect some of the most significant wreck sites in our said: "The designation of these sites recognises their national value and will help to ensure that future generations can continue to explore, learn from, and be inspired by Scotland's underwater heritage." Historic MPA status is also being granted to the Queen of Sweden wreck off Shetland which sank in a storm in is recognised as one of the best preserved remains of a ship from the Swedish East Indian Company and was the largest vessel in the company's fleet when it was MPAs will come into effect in Islands Council leader Heather Woodbridge welcomed the said: 'Wrecked vessels, including those of the German High Seas Fleet, are a significant heritage asset and attract visitors from all over the world, contributing to the economy of Orkney.'
BBC News
17 minutes ago
- BBC News
'Mum had the best grade as we graduated together'
A mother and daughter have celebrated a double win for their family after they both graduated from the same university Kennedy and daughter Mia both studied at Edge Hill University in Ormskirk, Lancashire, with the latter earning a 2:1 degree and her mother scooping a First."My mum was better than me in everything," joked Mia, who like her mother studied Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Wellbeing."I didn't believe mum was going to join the course at first as she was always saying she was going to uni but she never did. Everyone was shocked in freshers week as nobody expected a mother and daughter on the same course." Stephanie, 52, said: "As a working mother of three daughters, I had always postponed doing things for myself."I have never believed in myself much and my confidence in academic learning was low."Mia, 21, added: "Mum gives so much to her family and never does anything for herself." Stephanie told how her dream began after attending university open days with her eldest it only became a reality a few years later when a neighbour who worked at the university mentioned a "fast-track" intensive short programme to help mature students return to pair, from Wigan, Greater Manchester, said they would commute together for their course but had their own circles of friends, although Stephanie earned the affectionate nickname of "Mama Hen" among Mia's friends. Mia said studying with her mum was a "special and unique" experience, adding: "My mum loved studying more than me."Stephanie said: "This has been the hardest thing I have ever done but it's been worth every second. "To anyone who has doubts like I did, age is no barrier - you are never too old as I once thought."And Stephanie has no desire to stop there - she is returning to Edge Hill next term to embark on a Post Graduate Certificate in Primary Education. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
