‘Everything’s so expensive I can’t even take my child to the seaside this summer’

“Our focus right now is on getting on with the day-to-day rather than doing anything fun,” says Sarah, 49, a single mother living in south Wales.

“My daughter is in primary school so she has a free breakfast club and gets free school meals. And of course it’s summer holidays here, so I’ll have to find two meals every day.

“And on top of that, the price of everything has gone up so much. It’s ridiculous.”

She is among millions of parents facing an “immediate” financial crisis over the summer holidays as essential support offered during the period is withdrawn, a new survey has warned.

Almost three-quarters (72 per cent) of parents whose school-aged children benefit from universal credit are worried about paying bills over the holiday period, according to research from Action for Children and Nationwide. More than 60 percent said they were also concerned about the cost of childcare and children’s activities.

According to the latest available data, there were 3.1 million families with children claiming universal credit as of February 2026.

During the school term, these households can benefit from support such as free school meals, subsidized trips, activities and childcare, and school-based sports clubs. An average of 70 percent of the 2,000 parents surveyed said they were dependent on at least one of them during the period.

But this support is almost completely withdrawn during the six-week summer holidays, leaving parents facing a financial black hole of a month and a half.

Looking ahead to the summer with her eleven-year-old daughter Sabrina, Sarah said: “I think what we’ll do is stay at home for the whole summer holidays and turn off the ads on everything because it’s all just money, money, money.”

“There are many times when you feel comfortable saying no,” he adds.

“No, I know we’re at the beach, everyone on the beach has ice cream, but you can’t have ice cream. Yes, I know everyone eats fish and chips, but we’re the only people on the beach who don’t eat fish and chips.”

“So you get to the point where you think, you know what, we’re not going anywhere.”

As the cost of living continues to rise, families report having to take drastic measures, with at least half reporting that they are delaying rent or mortgage payments (50 percent) or using a Buy Now Pay Later program (63 percent).

Sarah is one of many parents who applied for one of these schemes, saying the interest rates were “terrible”.

“When my washing machine broke, if I had gone to one of the electrical shops I think it would have cost around £320. Get in, leave the money, go away. To buy here [financing scheme]”When you add the APR it was £465 so you could pay it off in one lump sum,” he said.

“Being poor is expensive.”

Catherine Joyce, national director of England North Action, said: “Our frontline services are seeing the impossible choices families across the UK face every day, and while summer is a vital time for play and adventure, cost pressures for families are intensifying. “Enriching activities aside, how can we expect a child to enjoy their holiday with families worried about paying for their next meal?

“Our message to the new prime minister is clear: tackling the cost of living crisis for children and families must be a priority.”

Action for Children says parents can benefit from Family Clubs across the UK, funded by Nationwide, which offer playtime, meals and a supportive network throughout the summer.

To help families with living costs over the summer holidays, Labor has introduced the UK summer savings rebate scheme to help with the cost of certain activities.

The plan, announced by Rachel Reeves in May, introduced a temporary VAT reduction on family activities starting on 25 June and lasting for nine weeks until 1 September.

While the cut reduces the standard 20 percent rate to 5 percent, businesses are expected to pass the savings on to families in the form of discounted prices. For participating businesses, this applies to the cost of days out, meals, theme parks, movie tickets and more.

But Sarah says it won’t help her “at all”, adding: “I can’t afford to do most of the things to even get that much of a discount.”

“There’s no budget for any extras; no trips, no days out and no activities. Even something as simple as traveling somewhere is very expensive due to gas costs.”

Ms Joyce commented: “The Great British Summer savings scheme is welcome, but we need to see more targeted support for low-income families who are already struggling with rising costs and affordability.

“Summer should be a time of carefree exploration for children; it is these foundations that have a lifelong impact on children’s learning, development, confidence and friendships.”

New prime minister Andy Burnham has indicated he plans to provide more immediate help to households struggling with the cost of living, telling LBC last week the government needs to “get serious about putting more money in people’s pockets”.

This has led to speculation that he could introduce an emergency cost-of-living package after becoming prime minister on July 20, supported by his close adviser and Labor MP Miatta Fahnbulleh telling the BBC on Sunday that his premiership would mean “dealing with living costs in the short term”.

A government spokesman said: “We know the cost of living remains a real challenge for families, so we’re helping families by offering 30 hours of funded childcare, launched 500 free breakfast clubs, extended free school meals eligibility to another half a million pupils, scrapped the two-child limit to lift half a million children out of poverty and given a pay rise to 2.7 million workers by increasing the National Living Wage. This goes beyond helping with basic needs by reducing energy bills and freezing prescription costs.

“To provide some extra help this summer, we’ve made bus travel free for all children in England and removed VAT on many children’s activities and eating out for parents who can benefit from other Great British Summer Savings.”