SOON, school will be out for summer and children across Trafford will be looking forward to the start of their summer break.

Unfortunately, for some families round here the long summer holiday is a cause for concern rather than celebration.

Household costs for families rise during the summer holidays – with the kids at home food, entertainment and childcare all cost more and many struggle to make ends meet without that vital lifeline of a free school meal.

Recent research by the National Union of Teachers found that four in five teaching staff (80 per cent) reported a rise in 'oliday hunger'over the past two years, with parents of children who qualify for free school meals during term-time struggling to find the money to fund extra meals during school holidays.

Even if your family isn’t eligible for a free school meal, with the costs of childcare soaring and food prices going up, the extra financial pressures of the school holidays can be a real strain on the household budget.

The Trussell Trust, Britain’s largest network of food banks, reported that the numbers of people seeking help because they could not afford to buy food for their children during school holidays almost doubled in the 2016 summer holiday compared with the previous year.

The UK is one of the richest countries in the world and so it is shameful that we top a UNICEF league table of children under 15 living in a severely food insecure household.

That’s why I’m supporting the End Holiday Hunger campaign, and calling on the government to set out a clear strategy now for how they will take action to stop our poorest children going hungry in the holidays.

Kate Green

Labour MP for Stretford and Urmston