Will summer discounts make family days out cheaper?

ByPete Simson

Bristol Political Reporter, Reporting fromWest of England

Families could save money on days out, meals and entertainment this summer under a government discount scheme, but attractions in the West have questioned its impact.

The temporary 15% VAT reduction applies to family attraction tickets, children's meals and cinema tickets until September.

Parents told the BBC the cost of keeping children entertained during the school holidays remained a concern, with some saying outings can cost over £100.

"It really limits where you want to go, and when you have six weeks of holidays ahead, you can't go where you want to because things are so expensive now," said Susanna Trump, who was visiting Studley Grange near Swindon with her son Cooper.

"Once you have more than one [child] the cost adds up pretty fast," said Joe Morris, from Devizes.

"If families are looking to go out and eat out it can get extortionate after a while," he added.

Others have said that while small price decreases are welcome, they appreciate the messaging it sends more.

"We haven't really noticed a difference on ticket prices, but I have noticed that some places have cut their kids lunchbox deal price," said mother-of-two Tzara Spurrier, from Stroud.

"It does make a difference, I think it's only 50p or 60p," she added, "so there are attractions that are using it and giving it back."

"Seeing a business say that they're going to use [the saving] to support us does make you want to go to them more, it's only minor but the fact that a business is doing that shows that it's the kind of business you want to support."

Spurrier says that while savings are nice, changes to parking charges would remove a barrier that puts some parents off visiting town centres and attractions.

The government said the £300m Great British Summer Savings scheme, which also includes free bus travel for children aged five to 15 in England, would help families with the cost of the summer holidays until 1 September.

VAT has been reduced on children's meals served in restaurants as well as kids' and family tickets for cinemas, shows, exhibitions and outdoor venues and activities.

Attractions run by local authorities are already exempt from VAT so are not affected by the scheme.

Susanna Streeter, a financial expert from Bristol-based Wealth Club, said the summer of savings should help lighten the financial burden for families during the school holidays.

"Inflation may have cooled, but household budgets are still running hot after years of rising prices, so a temporary VAT cut on children's meals, entertainment and attractions should help take some of the sting out of the summer holidays," she said.

She added that the savings have arrived just when they are needed most, given than children's charity Coram estimates holiday costs now cost £191 per child per week, external - or £1,145 for the six-week summer holiday.

For parents who are able to take annual leave, Streeter said a "DIY approach" - by keeping children entertained with picnics, local attractions and low cost days out could prove "far better value".

For many visitor attractions, the summer holidays are the busiest weeks of the year.

Jack McLeay, marketing co-ordinator at Puxton Park near Weston-super-Mare, said any support for families and help boost visitor numbers was welcome.

"Local families and people that are travelling for holidays are the core of our business, especially through August," he said.

"We know that things are hard for people at the moment so we thought it was extra important to pass on that saving to our customers because that's what we're all about."

However, he said it was still "too early to tell" what impact the discounts would have.

Wiltshire-based garden and leisure park, Studley Grange, is also passing the reduction on to customers.

Retail manager Paula Timms said: "It's lovely for the consumer, but it creates a bit more work for us.

The issue I see is when we have to put the prices back up at the end of the summer, customers wont necessarily understand why."

"I don't think people are aware of this 15% VAT reduction that's going ahead," she added.

For others, using the scheme as a chance to build a relationship with customers is another benefit of the scheme.

"I can understand how difficult it is to keep [children] busy all summer, so for us it's really important to be able to encourage those families to be able to come and experience the park," said Eleanor Duck, Activities Manager at 270 Climbing near Gloucester, who have cut prices on a range of activities.

"I'm hoping we'll get a good reaction when the prices go back up in September and people will be understanding of that," she added.

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