BURY Council have announced that parents of children who receive free school meals will receive help to buy school uniforms.

More than 6,000 people across the borough will benefit from the move, which will provide a grant of £30 per primary age child and £50 per secondary age child.

Payments will be made to eligible families during May and June.

The scheme will be administered through schools in the same way that the council-funded food voucher scheme has operated in the last two years.

The council has asked schools to ensure that the vouchers can be used at supermarkets as well as at certain clothing retailers in order to give parents more choice.

Letters are being sent to parents this week to inform them of the initiative and how it will be administered by schools.

Councillor Tamoor Tariq, cabinet member for children’s services, young people and skills, said: “The soaring cost of living is having a real impact on families across our borough, especially those on the lowest incomes.

“That’s why, in our budget in February, we announced a series of measures to help those most in need.

“As well as the £240,000 for school uniform grants, we’ve put £100,000 into a new ‘cost of living’ support fund.

We’ve also put aside £570,000 to extend the provision of free school meals over the long summer holidays, and we’re making great progress in ensuring everyone gets their £150 council tax energy bills rebate.”