Thousands of children who are living in poverty in Bury cannot get free school meals because the qualifying criteria is so restrictive, new analysis shows.

According to the figures, 3,000 children in poverty in the borough are not being served complimentary meals.

This comes despite the Department for Education saying it has "extended eligibility for free school meals to more groups of children than any other government over the past half a century".

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Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) and Greater Manchester Poverty Action (GMPA), authors of the analysis, are urging local leaders to do what they can to ensure more kids get a free lunch but say the responsibility ultimately lies with the government to expand provision of free school meals across the country to tackle classroom hunger.

Infants are guaranteed a free school meal in England but children in Year 3 and above must be in households on universal credit with an income below £7,400 per year before benefits and tax to qualify.

This threshold has not changed since 2018, despite increasing inflation.

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It means 100,000 school-age children in poverty across the North West cannot claim free meals, at a time when one in three children in the region are below the poverty line and the cost of living crisis continues to bite.

The analysis highlights the stark inadequacy of the current free school system for families, with the number of school-age children who are poor but ineligible for free lunches ranging from 1,500 in Halton to 15,000 in Lancashire.

Cllr Lucy Smith, cabinet member for children and young people, said: “The cost of living crisis is hitting all families hard.

"The idea that food inflation going down suddenly makes food affordable completely misses the point.

"No child should go hungry in Bury in 2024.

"Whether it is tackled by raising families out of poverty or giving children a meal at school, it is clear that more must be done by this government.”

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In response to the data, a Department for Education spokesperson said: “We understand the pressures many households are under, which is why we have extended eligibility for free school meals to more groups of children than any other government over the past half a century - doubling the number of children receiving free school meals since 2010 from one sixth to one third.

“We have also put protections in place to ensure that children who are eligible for free school meals retain that entitlement even if their household circumstances change.”