London council becomes first in England to provide universal school uniform payments to families A London council is set to become the first in England to provide universal school uniform grants to families earning less than £50,350.
Mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman, said: “Limiting the number of branded items simply isn’t enough to alleviate the burden on families struggling to afford school uniforms, with charities reporting that more and more parents are being forced to search clothing banks for uniforms their kids can wear to school.
Tower Hamlets has set aside £3million over the next three years to give payments of £50 each to children starting primary school and £150 to students starting secondary school.
Charity Action for Children said the costs put “huge pressure on families” who are already struggling to manage skyrocketing bills and have resulted in some households cutting back on other essentials such as food or electricity.
Parents spend an average of £422 a year on secondary school uniforms and £287 on primary uniforms, according to data from the Children's Society.
