ABOUT £150,000 is going to be spent on feeding children during school holidays amid rising levels of poverty in County Durham.

Durham County Council says it is spending the money to combat "holiday hunger", caused by increasing costs during school breaks and a lack of access to free school meals.

The money, which comes from the Government's new burdens funding scheme, will be spent on projects which offer free activities and food during the holidays.

Councillor Olwyn Gunn, the council's cabinet member for children and young people’s services , said: “We know the school holidays can be a challenging time for families, with parents and carers facing the additional expense of keeping youngsters entertained and fed throughout the day.

"Our aim is to support families to ensure every child has access to the opportunities they need to reach their potential.”

The most recent statistics show there are 21,000 children living in poverty in County Durham – or 24 per cent – which has risen since the three year period from 2013/14 to 2015/16, when it stood at 20 per cent.

Recent figures collated by the End Child Poverty Coalition suggest the figure could be even higher, putting it at 36 per cent across the county.

The money will fund projects from now until September 2020, with £140,000 being divided between the council's 14 area action partnerships (AAPs), which will allocate funding to schemes which provide opportunities for children and families to socialise, be active and learn new skills, while eating healthy meals and snacks.

The remaining £10,000 will be made available for countywide projects led by the VCS Alliance, the council’s One Point Think Family, culture and sport, and education and skills services and NHS Harrogate; and District Foundation Trust’s health visiting and school nursing teams.

Cllr Angela Surtees, the council’s cabinet member for social inclusion, said: “By allocating this funding through our AAPs, we can work with communities all across the county to identify and support projects that will make an immediate difference while reducing stigma and helping bring about lasting benefits.”

Holiday hunger schemes have been running across the county for a number of years.