Weaver Vale MP and former Manchester Council Executive member Mike Amesbury is introducing a private members bill into the House of Commons today aimed at lowering the cost of school uniforms for hard-pressed families.
Amesbury was the first to be drawn out of the ballot back in January.
He wrote earlier this week that The idea to introduce this Bill arose from his experience as a local MP for Weaver Vale –
“its something that’s come up on the doorstep and in meetings with constituents.
It’s a problem not just in my patch but across the whole country. In 2018, research by The Children’s Society found that parents spent around £340 per year on school uniforms for each secondary school child and £255 per year for each primary school child. They also found that nearly one in six families have cut back on food and other essential items in order to meet the cost of uniforms for schools.”
The Bill would make it a legal requirement for schools and their governing bodies to make affordability centre stage when setting their uniform policy. This would end the single-supplier monopolies that push up prices and limit family choice, and ensure schools introduce a fair and transparent tendering process.
