More than £200,000 worth of borough fines to parents for unauthorised pupil absences since 2021 - as the council cracks down on the problem.

An investigation by Legal Expert has revealed a 126 per cent increase in the number of fines issued to Bury parents in the last three years.

They also confirmed that 867 cases were put forward for prosecution following unpaid fines.

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Fine figures will be rising this year and parents who flout the rules of term time holidays could be hit with fines of £160 from this August.

Currently, unauthorised absences can see parents given a £60 fine which increases to £120 per child if it is not paid within 21 days with a potential for prosecution for non-payment of 28 days.

In Bury, the number of penalty notices issued by the council increased by 126 per cent since 2021 with a hefty £89,520 worth of fines given in one 12-month period alone.

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Between 2021/22, 826 penalty notices were issued to parents for unauthorised absences. Figures shot up to 1,866 fines being handed out the following year.

This year so far, 1,865 fines have been issued, totalling £76,380 and 466 cases have been referred by the council as a result of unpaid fines.

Parents who don’t pay the fine in time, can be subjected to further action which could include an education supervision order, community order or even time in jail.

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A council spokesperson said: “School attendance is something we take very seriously, and non-attendance at school can have a large impact on a child and young person.

“Since the pandemic in 2020, there has been a decline in school attendance overall. This is nationwide and not just in Bury.

“Recent changes by the government means we can no longer directly employ education welfare officers so instead we have stepped up a team to support schools with their attendance and access to early help to avoid school absences and therefore penalty fines.

“We continue to work with families and schools to ensure all children and young people are in education and where deemed necessary will issue penalty notices in line with the Department for Education stringent measures to ensure that every child attends school during term-time unless there are exceptional factors.”