MD3371 Holiday Hope Phase Two Delivery

1.1.    The Holiday Hope programme directly contributes towards the Mayor’s overarching ambition that 250,000 young people will have access to positive opportunities by 2028. Holiday Hope connects City Hall holiday provision with key partner delivery offering to increase young people’s access to youth spaces and positive opportunities, with food available, during the challenging holiday periods.

1.2.    The Mayor previously approved the award to the Mayor’s Fund for London (MFL) of a contribution towards the January to June 2025 period costs of their Kitchen Social project via a grant of £300,000 (MD3322).

1.3.    The Felix Project and MFL have also previously received grant funding through the Free Holiday Meals Programme; with approval given by the Mayor under MD3105 and MD3240. DD2740 (approved on 10 March 2025) also approved grant award of up to £190,900 to MFL for contribution towards recipe kit food box provision (until Easter 2025) for key community groups.

Holiday Hope background

1.4.    The summer holidays (and holiday periods in general) pose significant challenges for young Londoners particularly around safety, access to positive opportunities and food insecurity. 

1.5.    The Holiday Hope programme provides an ambitious response from the Mayor to this issue and will connect and strengthen high-quality holiday activity across London. Built on a foundation of existing and effective City Hall delivery, the Holiday Hope programme brings existing City Hall holiday provision together with key partner delivery to create a new and integrated programme. Holiday Hope will increase young people’s access to youth spaces, positive opportunities, and food during the challenging holiday period.

1.6.    The first phase of Holiday Hope (December 2024 – June 2025), including use of funding approved by the Mayor under MD3322, has included both direct delivery for young people and development of a new project and partnership approach to ensure that the Kitchen Social project can be enhanced and scaled over subsequent years. 

1.7.    The grant awards now proposed will support implementation and delivery of activities aligned with the aims and objectives of Holiday Hope Phase Two. Approval for expenditure and delegated authority is now sought, subject always to confirmation that such GLA revenue funds are available for the purpose in each year, for:

•    award of an £800,000 grant to Felix Project as a contribution to their cost of delivering surplus food to young people and families through their existing food delivery programmes

•    award of up to £900,000 grant, per annum for three years, to MFL as a contribution to MFL’s costs of delivering positive opportunities through their existing Kitchen Social project

•    transfer of up to £300,000, per annum for three years, from the GLA to the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), in accordance with section 121 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999, to extend delivery of the Violence Reduction Unit's Stronger Futures programme and other holiday-based delivery.

1.8.    Approval is also sought for delegations of authority to:

•    the Assistant Director, Civil Society and Sport to approve, through Assistant Director Decision form(s), detailed expenditure plans for up to £400,000 on volunteering and youth social action activities in relation to holiday periods

•    the Executive Director, Good Growth to propose through the standard Mayoral Decision-Making process, any repurposing of underspends should they arise.

MFL grant award

1.9.    This grant award is an annual contribution, for up to three years, to MFL’s costs of its existing Kitchen Social project, the aims of which align with the GLA’s Holiday Hope programme, utilising unique MFL experience and expertise to deliver positive opportunities for young people during the holiday period and to engage collaboratively with community partners. This will expand vital holiday delivery, at scale, for young Londoners. The Kitchen Social project is described further in paragraph 2.4.

1.10.    It is proposed that MFL should be awarded a grant in respect of its Kitchen Social project for the following reasons:

·    The beneficiaries of the funding will be networks of community organisations across London and the young people and communities the project supports.

·    MFL as a separate organisation, not forming part of nor related to the GLA Group, has proven capacity to engage with wider and alternative funding opportunities, including access to match funding and in-kind resources, that could contribute significantly towards improved outcomes for young people in the holiday period and that the GLA would be ineligible to source.

·    MFL is vastly experienced and has been delivering positive opportunities, in the holiday period, for many years. This new award is directly aligned to MFL’s existing Kitchen Social project that provides increased access to skills and positive opportunities for young people. Last year alone MFL provided over 15,000 upskilling opportunities across 32 boroughs.

·    MFL can be considered unique in its ability to deliver this project at scale during holiday periods as it holds a significant network of over 600 youth and community organisations and partners that can be rapidly scaled and has proven delivery experience at significant scale across London.

Felix Project grant award

1.11.    This grant award is a contribution, for 12 months, to the Felix Project’s costs of delivering their extensive food redistribution programmes. Felix Project food distribution projects are described further in paragraph 2.10.

1.12.    This contribution also recognises the end of the Free Holiday Meals programme, through which the Felix Project has received funding over the last two years. Whilst this proposed grant is less than was previously awarded through the Free Holiday Meals programme, it will ensure that community organisations that were previously receiving support under Free Holiday Meals, delivered by Felix Project, can continue to access food provision in the short term. It is also hoped that this extended timeframe will allow the Felix Project the opportunity to seek additional and extended funding opportunities into 2026-27.

1.13.    It is proposed that Felix Project should be awarded a grant for the following reasons:

·    The beneficiaries of the funding will be networks of community organisations across London and the young people and communities the project supports. 

·    Felix Project is a separate organisation, not forming part of nor related to the GLA Group and has proven capacity to engage with wider and alternative funding opportunities, including access to match funding and in-kind resources, that could contribute significantly towards increased food access for young people and families in the holiday period and that the GLA would be ineligible to source. 

·    Felix Project is vastly experienced and has been delivering food redistribution, in the holiday periods, for many years. This new award is directly aligned to Felix Project’s existing food distribution programmes that last year alone redistributed almost 16,000 tonnes of food and rescued the equivalent of 38 million meals, distributing them to over 1,200 community organisations and schools across London with an estimated value of £63 million. 

·    Felix Project can be considered unique in their ability to deliver this project at scale during holiday periods as they hold a significant network of over 1,200 youth and community organisations and they have proven delivery experience at significant scale across London.

Violence Reduction Unit – transfer

1.14.    This transfer will, subject to confirmation that sums are available for this purpose in each year, be an annual contribution, for three years, to Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC). MOPAC has indicated its Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) will use these funds to meet the revenue costs of its successful Stronger Futures programme, the aims of which align with the GLA’s Holiday Hope programme. Stronger Futures utilises significant VRU and partner experience and expertise to deliver positive opportunities for young people at increased risk of violence and exploitation during the holiday period. This transfer will expand vital holiday delivery for targeted young Londoners. 

All grants

1.15.    These awards also align with the Mayor’s strategic priority to work in partnership to better achieve outcomes for young Londoners.

1.16.    This Decision also seeks a delegation of authority to the Assistant Director, Civil Society and Sport to approve detailed expenditure plans for up to £400,000 to be exercised via an Assistant Director Decision form for volunteering, physical activity, and youth social action activities aligned with and contributing to the Holiday Hope programme. This budget allocation is from the Civil Society and Sport budget and has been identified to be directed towards supporting volunteering and youth social action activities associated with the holiday periods. This delegation is sought in recognition of the limited timescales for delivery mobilisation within holiday periods, and subsequent need for rapid decision. Delegation will be supported by scrutiny and oversight through the Mayoral Delivery Board.
 

2.1.    The summer holidays (and holiday periods in general) pose significant challenges for young Londoners particularly around safety, food insecurity and access to positive opportunities. In response to this, Holiday Hope will connect and strengthen high-quality holiday activity across London, with the aim of increasing young people’s access to youth spaces, positive opportunities and food during holiday periods. Delivery will be focused towards the most disadvantaged young people. 

2.2.    The objectives of the first phase of Holiday Hope (December 2024 – June 2025) included both direct delivery for young people and development of a new project and partnership approach to ensure the programme can continue to be enhanced and scaled over subsequent years. This approach is now established and phase one delivery, as well as phase two delivery, will be overseen and convened through the Holiday Hope Delivery Board. 

2.3.    All Holiday Hope delivery will contribute directly to the overarching target that 250,000 young people have access to positive opportunities during this current Mayoral term. 

MFL delivery model 

2.4.    Through this grant award MFL’s Kitchen Social project will provide a range of positive opportunities through their existing structures and programming, which are directly aligned to the GLA Holiday Hope programme. Through this grant, MFL will become a key partner in supporting and delivering the Holiday Hope programme and delivery activities that will include: 

•    direct funding for community grassroots organisations to deliver meaningful holiday opportunities

•    the commissioning of targeted support through expert partners

•    engagement of potential funders and new partners to add additionality and extra resources to the programme

•    partnership building with employers to increase employment opportunities for young Londoners.

2.5.    MFL Positive Opportunities are defined within the following themes, with a variety of activities and experiences delivered over the holiday periods:

•    access to ‘safe spaces and trusted relationships’
•    access to ‘confidence and engagement skills’
•    access to ‘career employability skills’
•    access to ‘life skills’.

2.6.    It should be noted that whilst food is a common and important component of MFL delivery, for example as a hook to encourage a young person to attend an event, the focus of delivery through this grant is on increased access to positive opportunities. 

MFL reach

2.7.    Within the Kitchen Social project as part of phase one of the Holiday Hope (February and Easter delivery 2025) it is expected that over 5,000 positive opportunities will be made available to young people through the experiences described in paragraph 2.5.

2.8.    For the grant provided, it is expected that over 25,000 positive opportunities will be provided each year. 

2.9.    The outcomes achieved through increased access to positive opportunities will vary depending on each young person’s needs and the delivery model applied, but commonly include reported increases in mental wellbeing, increased confidence, improved relationships and positive employment or training outcomes. 

Felix Project delivery model

2.10.    Through this grant award Felix Project will deliver surplus food through their existing delivery channels: 

•    Heat and Eat programme – pre-cooked meals that can easily be heated up either at home or in community spaces; this recognises that many organisations, as well as families are struggling to use fuel at home, and can be limited in their ability to cook from scratch.

•    Food for Families – London-wide food provision, free at the point of delivery, to a network of community organisations and schools; the organisations receive a weekly order of food tailored to their needs that can be used to create meals on site, offer snacks and refreshments, and be offered to families to take home themselves.

•    Community Distribution Events – mass distribution events to meet heightened demand in school holidays, organised through schools, housing associations and other community-based spaces, to offer food via large-scale mass participation events. 

2.11.    The GLA grant will contribute to the Felix Project's costs of delivering holiday meals through these channels for a further 12 months. In total this will enable the delivery of 7.7 million meal equivalents, with GLA funding expected to account for around 30 per cent (approximately 2.3 million meals).

2.12.    Food delivery will be focused, as far as possible, on supporting children and families with additional delivery to new or underserved youth delivery sites (aligned to wider Holiday Hope programme) where logistics allow. 

2.13.    Across the two full years of the Free Holiday Meals programme (which ended following the final delivery phase over February half-term 2025), the Felix Project delivered over 15.5 million meal equivalents through the three channels listed above. Community Distribution and Food for Families accounted for most of these meals (8.8 million and 6.2 million respectively) with the Heat and Eat Programme acting as a lower volume but more targeted offer.

2.14.    An independent evaluation of the Free Holiday Meals programme commissioned at the end of its first year found that the provision it offered (the majority of which was delivered by the Felix Project through Food for Families and Community Distribution) was successful in meeting the direct and immediate needs of families experiencing holiday food insecurity, which in turn led to improved physical health outcomes, wellbeing, and improved social connections. The complementary and flexible nature of the differing delivery channels was also cited as a positive driver in improving the accessibility of the programme. 

VRU Stronger Futures delivery model

2.15.    Stronger Futures is Violence Reduction Unit's flagship after-school programme, supporting young Londoners aged eight to 18 to access after-school provision between 3pm and 10pm, weekends, and school holidays. Stronger Futures 2.0 was launched in 2023, funding 23 grassroots organisations across London who could demonstrate a track record of working with vulnerable eight to 18-year-olds who are either at risk or have been involved in violence.

2.16.    Stronger Futures 2.0 will run until the Summer holidays 2025 and will then be superseded by Stronger Futures 3.0. The model for Stronger Futures 3.0 will remain the same, supporting young Londoners aged eight to 18 to access after-school provision, weekends, and during the school holidays. Holiday delivery will be embedded within the contracts of all grantees to deliver during the school holidays, with food provisions a key element in all holiday delivery programming. The additional £300,000 Holiday Hope budget will further support grantees to run holiday delivery and summer programmes in collaboration with Pupil Referral Units. 

2.17.    Stronger Futures 3.0's commissioning will start with market engagement in May 2025 to secure a grant management company by 1 October 2025, to begin service delivery from grantees in January 2026. Timelines and confirmation will ultimately be confirmed through a Deputy Mayor of Policing and Crime Board decision. Subject to confirmation that GLA revenue is available for that purpose, the intention is that Stronger Futures 3.0 is commissioned for two years, with an option for a third year.

2.18.    The reach of Stronger Futures 3.0 will depend on grant allocation and assessment that still need to be completed. However, based on all VRU holiday activity delivered in 2024, it can be estimated that over 2,500 positive opportunities will be provided across all holiday periods, each year, once recommissioning is complete.

2.19.    The outcomes achieved through increased access to positive opportunities vary depending on each young person’s needs and the delivery model applied, but commonly include reported increases in mental wellbeing, increased confidence, improved relationships and positive employment or training outcomes. 
 

3.1.    Under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 (The Equality Act), as a public authority the Mayor must have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation, and any conduct that is prohibited by or under the Equality Act, and to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. 

3.2.    Activity and programmes within the Holiday Hope programme will provide support to disadvantaged children and young people. This includes young people with protected characteristics and young people who are more vulnerable. Examples of disadvantaged groups that the Holiday Hope programming will particularly focus on include young people with SEND; young refugees and asylum seekers; young people with a social worker; young care leavers; and those who are risk of exclusion, or who have been excluded, from school or college. Careful consideration will be given to ensuring appropriate accessibility for the widest range of young people and this will include targeted engagement where considered supportive. Young people’s voice and co-production will be utilised in planning, development and delivery to maximise effectiveness.

3.3.    London is home to more than two million children and young people aged 0-19 and has the highest rate of child poverty in England (after housing costs are taken into account), with rates expected to increase in coming years. Poorer children are more likely to underachieve at school, be unemployed and have lower incomes. Poverty is significantly worse in Black-Caribbean, Bangladeshi and Pakistani families, and more than 50 per cent of families with a disabled child live at the margins of poverty. This has all been exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis. 

3.4.    Young Londoners have lost tens of millions of pounds in funding for youth services since 2011. Informal, non-statutory services have an important preventative role to play. Getting good support to young people in their teenage years is vital, especially to support the most disadvantaged young people. Youth services are vital to young people who have been left behind or marginalised. They enable them to reach their potential and play a valuable role in helping them avoid being sucked into crime. MOPAC’s data on knife crime demonstrates that Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) young people are over-represented as both victims and perpetrators and are overwhelmingly male with many and complex vulnerabilities.
 

Key risks and issues

4.1.    The key risks are identified in the table below:

4.2.    Holiday Hope activity directly supports delivery of GLA commitments around supporting young people.

Subsidy control

4.3.    The funding within this programme has been considered in line with the Subsidy Control Act 2022. GLA officers have considered whether programmes will involve the provision of grant funding to enterprises that are likely to receive funding from other public sector organisations, such that these activities have been considered further in light of the subsidy control principles. Those activities are as follows:

·    the award of up to £900,000 per annum for Mayor’s Fund for London (MFL), for a period of three years, as a contribution to MFL’s costs of delivering existing Kitchen Social project, the aims of which align closely with the GLA’s Holiday Hope programme

·    the award of up to £800,000 in 2025-26 to Felix Project as a contribution to their cost of delivering surplus food to young people and families through their existing food delivery programmes.

4.4.    The objective of the proposed funding is a response to the increased and unequal needs faced by young people during the holiday period. This supports the GLA’s wider policy objectives of promoting economic and social development and reducing inequalities.

4.5.    The proposed funding is considered a proportionate response as it will enable MFL to provide food, skills training and positive opportunities through youth and community groups across London and Felix Project to deliver significant quantities of food. 

4.6.    The subsidy will support the providers to identify and engage with alternative and additional external funding modes, and support infrastructure capacity and capability building for the wider youth and community sector. This will directly inform and shape future programmes of change.

4.7.    The subsidy is limited, as set out, to deliver Holiday Hope objectives without unduly affecting delivery markets for similar; and will allow MFL and Felix Project, as beneficiaries, to maximise the reach and potential of their existing networks, for the benefit of young Londoners, in a way that could not be achieved in the absence of the subsidy being provided. 

4.8.    There is no alternative route within this period for the GLA to support the Holiday Hope objectives at such significant scale. As discussed above, MFL can be considered unique in their ability and position to deliver this project at pan-London scale during holiday periods. They hold a unique position in London through their significant network of over 600 youth and community organisations and partners, that can be rapidly scaled. There are no known organisations with an equivalent reach in London. The same is true of Felix Project with a network of over 1,200 community organisations and who operate in London in a way that no other organisation is able to do, through this extensive network and the food distribution channels it offers to Londoners.

Conflict of interest

4.9.    Tunde Olayinka, Executive Director for Communities and Skills, is an observer on the Mayor’s Fund for London board of trustees. He has thus recused himself from decision making with regards to this Mayoral Decision; and delegated this to Philip Graham, Executive Director of Good Growth. The Executive Director of Communities and Skills will continue to remove himself from decision making, and mitigations will be put in place to identify and address future potential conflicts of interest, including in his role as observer on the Mayor’s Fund for London board of trustees.

4.10.    Due consideration has been given to further potential conflicts of interest within this project; however, none have been found, including from those drafting, reviewing or clearing this decision form. During the delivery of work contained within this decision, declarations of interest will be made where relevant (such as during procurement exercises) and any conflicts of interest will be managed appropriately. 

5.1.    This decision seeks approval for:

•    Expenditure of £2,700,000 in grant funding to Mayor’s Fund for London (MFL) as a contribution to MFL’s costs of delivering existing Kitchen Social project, the aims of which align closely with the GLA’s Holiday Hope programme. Funded by the Holiday Hope budget line, this consists of £900,000 in 2025-26, £900,000 in 2026-27, and £900,000 in 2027-28.

•    Expenditure of £800,000 to Felix Project, funded by the Holiday Hope budget line in 2025-26.

•    Transfer of up to £900,000 (up to £300,000 per annum for three years), from the GLA to the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), in accordance with section 121 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999. Funded by the Holiday Hope budget line, this consists of £300,000 in 2025-26, £300,000 in 2026-27, and £300,000 in 2027-28.

•    Expenditure of up to £400,000 from the Civil Society and Sport (CSS) unit 2025-26 budget on volunteering and youth social action activities in relation to holiday periods. This consists of up to £200,000 from each of the CSS Supporting & Inspiring Young London Activity, and Youth and Schools budget lines.

5.2.    Funding for future financial years is subject to the GLA’s annual budget setting process and is subject to change. The above expenditure in 2025-26 is included in the budget recently published.

5.3.    The expenditure outlined above in 2026-27 and 2027-28 is planned in the budget and is subject to the Authority’s annual budget setting process.

5.4.    Any contracts that commit the GLA in future years will be subject to appropriate break clauses.
 

6.1.    The foregoing paragraphs of this report indicate that the decisions requested of the Mayor concern the exercise of the GLA’s general powers, falling within the GLA’s statutory powers to do such things considered to further, or that are facilitative of, or conductive or incidental to, the promotion of economic development and wealth creation, social development or improvement of the environment, in Greater London.

6.2.    In implementing the proposals in respect of which a decision is sought, officers should comply with the GLA’s related statutory duties to:

·    pay due regard to the principle that there should be equality of opportunity for all people

·    consider how the proposals will promote the improvement of health of persons, health inequalities between persons and to contribute towards the achievement of sustainable development in the UK

·    consult with appropriate bodies.

6.3.    In taking the decisions requested, as noted in section three above, the Mayor must have due regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, namely the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010; to advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic (race, disability, age, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, pregnancy and maternity, and gender reassignment) and persons who do not share it; and to foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it. To this end, the Mayor should have particular regard to section three (above) of this report.

6.4.    The decisions requested of the Mayor indicate that the proposed funding to the Mayor’s Fund for London and Felix Project amounts to the provision of grant funding and not payments for services. Officers must ensure that the funding be distributed fairly, transparently, in accordance with the GLA’s equalities and with the requirements of section 12 of the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code.

6.5.    Furthermore, officers must ensure that appropriate funding agreements are put in place between and executed by the GLA and the recipients before any commitment to fund is made.

6.6.    Officers have sought approval of a revenue grant of up to £900,000 from the GLA to MOPAC pursuant to section 121(1) of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 (the “Act”). Officers are reminded that, in accordance with section 121(3) of the Act, no conditions may be imposed upon MOPAC’s use of the grant other than that the grant must not be used for capital expenditure. Furthermore, in accordance with section 121(4) of the Act, MOPAC must apply the grant towards meeting revenue expenditure for the purposes of or in connection with the discharge of its functions. In addition, the GLA must confirm in relation to each year, that GLA revenue funding is available for this purpose. 

6.7.    Any function exercisable by the Mayor on behalf of the GLA may also be exercised by the Assistant Director, Civil Society and Sport and Executive Director of Good Growth albeit subject to any conditions, which the Mayor sees fit to impose. To this end, the Mayor may make the requested delegations if he so chooses.

Subsidy control

6.8.    The Subsidy Control Act 2022 requires that grant funding comply with its subsidy control principles. Officers have set out at paragraphs 4.3 to 4.8 (inclusive) above why it is felt that the proposed grant complies with those principles.

6.9.    Given that each of the proposed Mayor’s Fund for London and Felix Project grants exceeds £100,000, officers are reminded to register the grant on the Department for Business and Trade’s Transparency Database.

6.10.     If the Mayor makes the decisions sought officers must also ensure that they:

·    do not commit to any expenditure which relies upon future years’ budgets until such budgets have been confirmed definitively

·    in addition to ensuring that all relevant agreements contain a termination for convenience right in favour of the GLA, all milestones, workstreams and deliverable dates are structured so as to reduce the amount of abortive costs incurred upon terminating for convenience

·    to the extent that the expenditure proposed concerns the purchase of services: they are procured in accordance with the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code (the “Code”) and where applicable the Procurement Act 2023 (the “Act”); liaise with Transport for London’s procurement and supply chain team, which will determine the detail of the procurement strategy to be adopted in accordance with the Code and the Act; and put in place appropriate contractual documentation and ensure it is executed by the chosen service provide and GLA before the commencement of those services.
 

7.1.    Grant delivery will be considered by the Holiday Hope Programme Board as set out in timeline below:

7.2.    Wider GLA Holiday Hope planning and associated actions are also in development and will be reported to the SIYL programme board.