Petition to tackle holiday prices in school holidays

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petition.parliament.uk/petitions/226515/sponsors/new?token=PNpep4mVeQ9WPLw0WUsu

Please sign my petition if you agree with it. I’m asking for the government to change school holidays so they’re different throughout the country. There will be crossovers of course but by spreading out when schools have holidays will spread holiday demand and should lower holiday prices for families. Why should families, who pay more than couples anyway, have to pay 3 times more? We are held to ransom as we have no choice except feel like bad parents taking the kids out of school to get a reasonable deal. Families deserve nice holidays without getting into debt. Why do we all put up with it? The holiday companies can’t do anything about it as they respond to the marketplace like any other industry so school holidays changing is the only way to reduce the cost of holidays. I hope you will support this. It may seem unachieveable and a dream but all changes start somewhere. I believe some European countries spread school holidays out throughout the country. If holidays were the same for the schools within each county but staggered throughout counties as much as possible then this could change the landscape for family holidays for us and our kids and their kids. Life is expensive enough with kids why should parents be penalised for keeping the human race going. Surely travel is important to children’s upbringing to make them rounded confident people as well as having quality time as a family away from the stresses of home. Also wouldn’t it be better economically if people leaving the country and being off work was more spread out? I hope you can open the link to sign. It can be found on the government website for petitions if not. Look for heading’ to legally change school holidays in each county in U.K. so they are different. Please support this and let’s get fair prices for holidays

Why don't you also start a petition to make sure nobody else goes to the shops on a Saturday afternoon, so you can have the aisles all to yourself?

Or one to request the roads are kept free for you the Friday term ends so you can get home quicker?

Stuff everyone else, as long as you're ok, right?

If rather parliament spent their time, which we all pay for, debating stuff that matters.

Hate to be a pedant but Neither supply or demand of holidays is fixed though. But demand is much higher in the school holidays and supply is generally the same as other times of the year. So cheaper out of season.

A better petition would be to stop fines for parents taking kids out of school for holidays. Particularly for younger kids, it’s entirely unnecessary for educational purposes.

Because high holidays prices is an issue

Not exactly number 1 on the list of issues that we face at the moment, is it......? If you want to look at things having a negative impact on families, you'd do better to turn your ire onto housing costs, for which a political solution would be possible.

I don't think people are ripping into you for their own pleasure. You are taking this too personally. Most people are just saying that your suggestion isn't feasable.

Making things fair!!!im going. It’s hard to read now.

Solutions, implications etc is not something I’m in a position to fully know

A marketing director that presents a big idea with zero ideas on how to implement it. Crikey. Is your name David Cameron?

Other families that have to pay extortionate holiday prices

OP are you being deliberately hard of thinking? Nobody HAS to pay for anything. If something is too expensive, you walk away. You are CHOOSING to pay what you term "extortionate" prices. There will always be a cheaper alternative. If prices are too high and nobody is buying, they will fall. That is basic supply and demand economics - although you seem to think you're understanding, you're not.

As everyone has explained there is a whole host of very practical reasons why swapping holidays about isn't going to work. It would require a total reorganisation of the education system and as others have said, the government has bigger fish to fry.

No-one has the right to cheap luxuries, however much you bleat on about it.

Making things fair!!!im going. It’s hard to read now.

You've told us you're going four times now. Would you like a fanfare?

I'm not ripping in to you for my own pleasure ...... I'm multi-tasking watching James Martin on TV, so he's my pleasure right now.

Along with others, I'm merely suggesting why this isn't high on my list of priorities, nor would i support it being prioritised in parliament anytime soon. As i said, once Brexit is sorted; education, healthcare, benefits, emergency services & military funded to appropriate levels etc etc ....

@NataliaOsipova If you want to look at things having a negative impact on families, you'd do better to turn your ire onto housing costs, for which a political solution would be possible.

Much better idea. Look at more immediate, important issues that Government can actually influence, and focus your apparently relentless energy for inciting change there.

I was feeling a bit sorry for you as I thought you were just naive about economics and market forces... until I saw you were a marketing director 🙄 Of a company more than one?

I think the fact nobody on this long thread agrees with you should lead you to understand that your thinking on this is flawed. It's not that we all don't "drive change" in our jobs and lives too (I thought that was patronising tbh), it's that we

1. understand economics
2. don't think a holiday is a right or entitlement
3. think the government should be spending their time on much more important things

what I can't get my head around is the notion that holidays are an entitlement, that people deserve one, and that they should be affordable.

Holidays are an expensive luxury for a few. Nobody needs or deserves one.

We camp. Its fun and cheap. Maybe try that OP?

I think everyone has tried explaining to you why this wouldn’t work and also why it wouldn’t be desirable for many. I am a teacher and I wouldn’t want this change. On a selfish level, it would mean I could have different holidays to my children and possibly the children having different holidays to each other. Also, term times have enough things to negotiate such as when Easter falls, trying to include BH in the hols etc without adding this in.

There are already 6 weeks in the summer, a week or two either side for start/end dates would just mean longer times the prices are high. Not the opposite.

You seem cross that people haven’t agreed with you but it’s for good reasons!

Making things fair!!!im going. It’s hard to read now.

Why? You've come up with an idea; people have disagreed with you. That's debate. Nobody's been rude or personal.

I just completely disagree that if a family wants (not should or has to but wants to) to go on holiday they are either forced to pay 3 times more or have to take their kids away from important education and be fined.

This is the point - WANT to, WANT to! You don’t need a holiday, no-one is being ‘forced to’ or ‘suffering from’ anything but their own personal choices!

@NataliaOsipova If you want to look at things having a negative impact on families, you'd do better to turn your ire onto housing costs, for which a political solution would be possible.

absolutly

what do you think your post wingeing about the cost of foreign holidays sounds like to a parent facing eviction, or trying to bring their children up in a shelter for the homeless?

Also, holiday companies are not charities. They’re there to make money. Holidays sell out (look at Centre Parcs’ availability in August!) so why would they lower prices?

this is hilarious.

My point is to simply get this discussed in parliament and get it on the agenda. Because high holidays prices is an issue. Full stop. Solutions, implications etc is not something I’m in a position to fully know. I’ve just made a suggestion. I’m obviously wasting my breath on this forum so I’m going now

I’d rather parliament were discussing the really important matters that affect families at the moment. You know like obscene housing costs? The UC shit show? The rise in food bank usage. The fact that wages are no longer enough to cover people’s cost of living.

Please stop pretending you’re trying to do this out of any sort of philanthropy. You want cheaper holidays - however that affects other people.

I have taken staycations by choice (as in staying right at home holiday, not UK holiday). They are rather nice as there's not hassle of packing and travelling anywhere.

I planned it like a holiday, woke up on day 1 already there, and then had a lovely break with all my home comforts a few steps away!

It's what you make of it, not where you go.

Oh please.. this is just bonkers. What about the many many families who can not afford to go away regardless of it being a bit cheaper , under your proposal some of these kids holidays would be in may or September when the weather would be more likely to be worse but hey ho the rich kids pay less for their hols so that's the main thing..

Cheap package holidays abroad in peak season are not a human right lol

No solution will suit everyone but currently all families suffer high prices.

Not us up here in Scotland, we get to holiday during the first two weeks in July at reasonable prices and before the resorts are too busy.

Also op, you need to allow for the fact that we can't completely scrap the long holidays being over August, as that time is needed for exam results to be marked, published and children have time to sort out moving schools/courses.

To move those means moving exams and so the whole school year, and secondary schools across the country need to do the exams at the same time, get results at the same time. The amount of staggering is limited to tinkering at the edges.

This also means there's limits to when else over the year schools can have holidays - exams that are modular need to be coorindated, May half term and Easter breaks need to be coordinated for the exam time tabling.

If you only stagger primary school holidays, those with dcs in primary and secondary will have a nightmare.