School uniform grant to be stripped from most families in council plan
A UNIVERSAL school uniform grant is expected to be stripped back by Barnsley Council - a year after it was introduced.
The grants, for the current financial year and the 12 months starting in April 2027, were introduced by the previous Labour controlled administration, costing £2.5m, supporting almost 34,000 families with grants of £50 for primary aged pupils and £100 for those in secondary education.
Almost 95 per cent of those eligible have cashed in the vouchers.
A second scheme, offering study support packs to Year 11 students, saw 2,767 issued at a cost of £150,000.
The council’s ruling cabinet, now controlled by Reform members, is now being asked to make major changes to that scheme - discontinuing the support packs and introducing a “redesigned” school uniform scheme, only for those starting primary and secondary school instead of all pupils.
The investment in that would be £430,000 maximum, rather than the £250,000 for the previously approved scheme.
Like the current scheme, the grants would be non-means tested, meaning all families with children moving into the first or second tier of schooling would qualify.
In total, the changes would cut around £2.2m in support to families, with the proposal criticised by Labour who said the scheme was fully funded when introduced.
Barnsley Liberal Democrats have also responded, stating that the decision - if adopted - means “the most vulnerable in our town will suffer”.
According to the Lib Dems, the change would mean 84 per cent of those currently receiving the grant losing it in future.
The cabinet is also being asked to approve changes to other benefits, including cost of living payments to pensioners, working age cost of living payments and support with travel costs for low-income households.
Alternative schemes would replace them, a report states.
Pensioner cost of living payments currently go to almost 8,000 people, at a cost of £790,000 to the authority.
Help with transport costs goes to more than 3,000 low-income families, at a cost of around £1.5m.
Those schemes were introduced on a means-tested basis.
A report to the cabinet says “key themes” identified included “support has been widely distributed, rather than targeted at those in greatest need”, also “overlapping objectives with some duplication” and inefficiencies in the delivery of multiple schemes.
The cabinet meets on July 15.