MEN campaign to help keep homeless children in school backed by MP

The Manchester Evening News is calling on mayor Andy Burnham to introduce a free bus pass for children placed in temporary homeless accommodation that is more than 30 minutes’ walk from their school.

The Liberal Democrat MP for Hazel Grove constituency said: “One of my earliest cases as an MP was getting a bus pass for a child who was having to walk miles to and from school every day, because of where he and his mother had been forced to move to.

“Children should never suffer in these circumstances, and this is a great campaign to remove one of those barriers.”

Ensuring funding for the passes will be a major factor in ensuring it can be successful with local council budgets already under severe pressure, following years of reductions in central Government allocations.

Lisa added: “There are simply too many challenges for young people in difficult circumstances, as we see in the pressures on budgets for children with special educational needs.

“I would be delighted to see this campaign delivered, through the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, to make just one part of these children’s life and education a little easier. “