A councillor is appealing for schools in the district to make their uniforms as affordable as possible to prevent youngsters from poorer homes feeling isolated.

Councillor Malcolm Sykes, chairman of Bradford Council’s children’s services overview and scrutiny committee, has written to headteachers after meeting young people campaigning for cheaper school uniforms.

The committee recommended in October the council keep funding its school clothing allowance, after a report highlighted it had cost the authority more than £417,000 during the past year.

Youngsters from the Save the Children Our Shout group, who have been calling for the funding to be retained, were to attend a full council meeting today to explain how the cost of uniforms is an issue for families in deprived parts of the city.

Councillor Sykes’ letter states: “The committee along with the Our Shout group would like to emphasise the importance of affordable uniforms. We appreciate that uniforms are an important element of setting the schools ethos and that they can be a useful way to minimise the differences between pupils. However, we are conscious that young people can be made to feel isolated and inferior if their access to the correct uniform is limited.”

He asks schools to consider whether their uniforms are affordable, act as barriers to entry and if they have items that can be purchased only from single suppliers.

School clothing allowances are available to all children of parents who receive benefits including income support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, pension credit and child tax credit with an annual income of less than £16,190. Recipients are given vouchers worth £26 once a year that can be redeemed at nine clothing outlets in the district.

Richard Dunbar, a project officer for Save the Children, who works with Our Shout, said: “People do struggle with the cost of school uniforms but would struggle even more if the vouchers were taken away.

“Some parents are going into debt to be able to afford their children’s school uniform. Having the school uniform vouchers works really well. The system works because it’s simple and people really appreciate that support from the Council.

“I have spoken to our young people and they acknowledge this is a difficult time for the Council, but what they have reiterated is because it’s a difficult economic time it’s poverty-stricken people who need help even more.”