Dad who went to war over half-term holiday rip-offs
WHEN he vented his frustration about holiday prices shooting up during the school half- term break, Paul Cookson struck a chord with other parents.
His rant to 250 Facebook friends quickly went viral as outraged parents shared his post about rip- off prices 143,000 times.
Now the issue may even be debated in Parliament after more than 100,000 signed an online petition calling for the Government to curb prices.
A survey by the Daily Mail yesterday showed that some holidays will more than double in cost during half-term next month.
Mr Cookson, 41, who was inspired to speak out after trying to book a trip to Center Parcs with his seven-year- old daughter Phoebe, said he was stunned by the response on social media. His initial post asked why parents should be penalised for doing the right thing and not taking their children away during term time.
He then set up a Facebook group, Holiday Price Increase, and one member posted a link to an online petition titled ‘Stop holiday companies charging extra in school holidays’ which at the time had only about 3,000 signatures.
Mr Cookson, of Chillington, Devon, said: ‘It was exactly what I would’ve started, so I thought I may as well help it along.’ The sales director started his post after trying to book a villa at Center Parcs Sherwood Forest during half-term last October and finding that the price was £300 higher than for the week before. He wrote: ‘Share this post if you have also had enough.’
‘I think I’ve touched a nerve with this one,’ he said. ‘I don’t see why I should be penalised for sticking to the rules.’
Mother-of-two Donna Thresher, from Essex, set up the petition last March in protest at the £600 differ- ence in the cost of taking her family away during school holidays.
She thought the petition, which calls for a cap on price rises in the school holidays, was ‘dead in the water’ – until Mr Cookson’s Facebook post ignited interest in it.
Campaigns which reach 100,000 signatures on the Government’s e-petitions website can be given parliamentary time, although no decision has been taken yet.
Mr Cookson acknowledged that the call for price regulation might not be successful but said that it was raising awareness and increasing the chance that travel firms would change their policies.
New rules mean head teachers can grant pupils absence outside school holidays only in exceptional circumstances.
The Association of British Travel Agents said that one solution would be to stagger school holiday dates, rather than having most pupils off at the same time.
The Department for Education said academies and free schools already had the power to set different term dates, with council-run schools being given it from 2015.
The National Union of Teachers has warned this could result in travel firms extending the periods in which they charge higher prices.
The Department for Business said the UK holiday industry relied on profits from peak periods, while Center Parcs said its prices were based on supply and demand.