New crossing work completed at busy Leicester junction
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
12 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Parents could get £200 boost before the kids go back to school - here's how
The additional funds are there to help cover costs Parents in the UK could be entitled to an additional £200 before the children go back to school. This non-repayable cash is designated to help pay for school uniforms. However, it is only available to certain families on low income living in specific areas. In the majority of cases you will qualify if your child is eligible for free school meals. Consumer finance website Money Saving Expert (MSE), founded by Martin Lewis, explained more about who can get the grant. MSE said: 'Generally, the minimum UK-wide requirement to get a school uniform grant is to qualify for means-tested free school meals - even if you don't actually get them. Typically, to get means-tested free school meals, you need to be getting a specified benefit.' These include: Universal Credit (you're eligible after you've got your first payment) Child Tax Credit The 'guaranteed element' of Pension Credit Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance Income-related Employment and Support Allowance Income Support Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 However, the exact criteria for free school meals varies slightly around the UK. For more information on how to apply in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, visit the MSE website here. It's also important to note that local authorities can set their own school uniform grant eligibility criteria, and some councils include additional requirements. 'For example, in some cases your child has to be in a specific year group or moving from primary to secondary school to qualify,' MSE said. In England, the amount you can get will depend on your local council. Visit the MSE website here for a breakdown of which local authorities offer what. MSE said: 'In England, whether you can get a school uniform grant is a postcode lottery as it's down to your local council to decide whether to offer one, how much you get and the eligibility criteria.' Currently, only 22 out of 150 councils in England offer this grant. A further seven do offer financial support for uniforms but only in exceptional circumstances, for example, where you've suffered a fire, flood or have been made homeless. MSE said: 'If your council isn't listed above, ask if it has other help available. Under the Household Support Fund, councils in England can access funding to help those most in need with the cost of daily essentials, including school clothing in some cases. 'Each council can choose how to distribute the money, so eligibility criteria and what you can get varies – for example, some have given extra funding to schools to hand out, while others provide direct help to vulnerable households in the form of supermarket vouchers. 'The scheme is set to run until April 2026. After this, councils will continue to receive funding for a new 'Crisis and Resilience Fund', a long-term scheme which will aim to protect families from crisis. However, it's not clear yet how specific individual councils will use this funding. 'It's worth contacting your council to find out what it offers. If you can't access financial support under the Household Support Fund, your council may have other schemes in place that could help you.' Grants in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland School uniform grants are offered by all local authorities in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to anyone who meets the eligibility criteria. Here's a rough guide: The amount you get varies by council, but it'll be at least £120 The deadline to apply varies by council See for the link to your council's application form Wales: Northern Ireland: You can get up to £93.60 per child However, the deadline to apply was 25 July 2025
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
'Don't put that man in front of me again': Charles's friends reveal truth about King's thorny demands after exodus of Highgate gardeners - and say problems started after one key sacking: RICHARD KAY
His funeral wreath of white roses was alone on top of the coffin. But it was the accompanying words that summed up the then Prince of Wales's enduring devotion. 'For dearest Paddy,' the prince wrote, 'the finest and most loyal of old friends that anyone could hope for.' Signing off, he added: 'With affectionate and grateful remembrance, from Charles.'
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Children drawing on walls and dropping toys in the loo costs parents millions
The school holidays can be a joyful round of picnics, bike rides and trips to the seaside with your little ones. But that joy turns quickly to despair at home when their need to let off steam leads to graffiti on the walls, food blocking the washing machine and toys stuck in the U-bend. In fact, the havoc they wreak costs all parents millions a year in home repairs, a survey has found. The school break is the peak period for such mishaps, with 57 per cent of parents saying they faced substantial bills. Almost seven in ten – 67 per cent – said their children had drawn pictures on walls and furniture, and 43 per cent had to call in a plumber after toys got stuck in the loo. Meanwhile, 47 per cent said appliances had to be fixed after porridge, marmalade, custard and other food got stuck in games consoles and DVD players, and 40 per cent said fluids such as milk had found their way into hifi speakers and washing machines. The holiday mayhem doesn't end there, with 42 per cent saying their offspring had caused flooding by leaving taps running, while 20 per cent said a child had switched the heating on in the summer. In fact, the havoc they wreak costs all parents millions a year in home repairs, a survey has found Another seven per cent said children had caused costly bills by using sofas and beds as trampolines, breaking windows and flooding the garden with the garden hose. The average bill is £265 each time something goes wrong, with 36 per cent of people having to call in a professional to repair the damage. Another 12 per cent call a friend or relative to help, and eight per cent make an insurance claim. Liam Sharkey, from the home-assistance firm HomeServe, which carried out the survey of 2,000 British parents, said: 'These mishaps are more common than you'd think, and often catch parents off guard. Kid disasters bring most mayhem in the holidays. It only takes a moment for a small accident to turn into a costly repair.'
