UK Opens School 'Uniform Banks' as Parents Struggle to Clothe Children In Cost of Living Crisis

As parents across the UK begin to make preparations for their children to return to the classroom in September, the spiraling cost of living crisis is eating into household budgets.

An increasing number of parents are finding it hard to buy school uniforms for their children ahead of the new academic year, reported Sky News.

Hand-me-downs and ‘uniform banks’ are offering a solution as the cost of living crisis leaves parents struggling financially.

Buying a school outfit comprising a jumper, trousers, a polo shirt and Physical Education (PE) kit, along with shoes, socks and a bag could cost around £300, according to one parent who was cited by the news outlet.

In some areas, such as Kent, charities step in to help parents. Gillingham Street Angels, formerly a soup kitchen, is now also a uniform bank. Sourced from schools, parents and local supermarkets, more than 2,000 items a month are handed out to families, according to the outlet.

"We're giving out at least a couple of thousand items a month at the moment, and I think that's just going to get bigger. We started originally as a homeless charity. Now it's just all sorts of people… It's not just people who are struggling or people on benefits, but people in full-time employment," chief executive Neil Charlick said.

Independent financial planning experts are also advising parents to engage in more open conversations with their children about financial issues, to “help bring children into the story of looking after things".

Parents are eagerly joining online community groups to find second-hand uniforms, according to experts at the NetVoucherCodes online platform.

"It’s becoming more difficult for families to balance household expenses during this cost of living crisis, which is why many are looking for money saving tips to spend less on new school uniforms," said UK voucher expert Ellie Macsymons.

People are no longer snobbish about hand-me-downs or uniform swapping to help save some cash.

Weighing in on the situation, a spokesman for the Department for Education pointed out that new guidance for schools in England means they are required to keep the cost of uniforms down. This is achieved by limiting branded items and guaranteeing the availability of second-hand options.

"We know schools and families are facing increased cost pressures more broadly, which is why this government is providing more than £37Bln to help households with the greatest need and supporting families through the Household Support Fund," the spokesman said.

As parents make a bee-line for school ‘uniform banks’, another type of charity - food banks - are facing decreased donations from retailers, who, in turn, face supply chain issues. According to anti-poverty campaign group, the Independent Food Aid Network, donations have decreased in more than half of its branches.

As the average household energy bill is forecast to soar to more than £4,000 a year from January, Kantar's Grocery Market Share data this week showed grocery inflation had hit a record high of 11.6 percent.

After a series of food bank operators were forced to turn families away, many charities have warned that unless something major is done, thousands of families will go hungry this winter.

The Trussell Trust, which runs more than 1,300 food banks, has called on the UK government to “urgently” boost welfare payments.

“Food banks will do all they can to help families, but they cannot and should not be left to pick up the pieces when there is a gap in the support provided by our social security system,” the Trust’s Sophie Carre told media.

Previously, the National Health Service (NHS) Confederation warned that the UK could face a humanitarian crisis as people have to choose between meals and heating homes as prices rocket.

A YouGov poll commissioned by Times Radio out this week found that 16 percent of respondents were regularly skipping meals to save money.

Annual inflation rose to a new 40-year high of 10.1 percent in July from 9.4 percent in June, revealed the UK Office for National Statistics. The UK economy is forecast to enter recession from the fourth quarter of the year, according to the Bank of England.