Council urged to stop cut to school uniform grant

Leaders at Wakefield Council are being urged to reverse a decision to cut its school uniform fund by £1.3m.

The Reform UK-led authority recently announced the financial support would only be available to "those who need it most", including children eligible for free school meals and families experiencing hardship.

A revised £700,000 scheme replaces a £2m fund approved by the previous Labour administration to provide all families with vouchers to buy school uniforms for pupils.

But Rachel Speak, leader of the council's Liberal Democrat group and a Knottingley & Ferrybridge councillor, has tabled a motion calling for the previous scheme to be reinstated.

"Working people on minimum wage need the support as much as people who live on benefits too," she said.

"They all need the support, not just one or the other."

Under the revised plans, eligible families will be offered £30 per child.

Speak continued: "When I was at school, people who couldn't get the right uniform or their parents couldn't keep up with the cost were the ones that got bullied."

Labour lost control of the council in May's local elections after Reform took 58 out of 63 seats.

Speak, who works in the Ferrybridge Community Centre, said she did not believe the new-look council had had time to assess how many families needed the support.

"I hope that they will take on board the comments that I've made and they will make sure that people who are desperately in need throughout the district aren't overlooked," she added.

Matthew Caton, the council's cabinet member for children and young people, previously said: "Targeting the limited funding we have directly towards the children and families who need it most is common sense and what any responsible council should be doing.

"The universal giveaway we inherited from the previous administration was never the best use of public money.

"The scheme we're putting in place will provide support that is deliverable and good value and it enables us to invest in other essential local services to improve the lives of our residents."

The council was committed to reducing overspending, Caton added.

"By reducing the cost of this scheme by £1.3m we can re-purpose our resources into local services to improve our communities," he said.

The motion will be debated later at a full council meeting.

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