Nearly a million children living in areas that are subject to Tier
2 and Tier 3 coronavirus restrictions are set to lose access to
free school meals over the holidays, according to new analysis by
the House of Commons Library. The Library analysis, commissioned by
Shadow Education Secretary Kate Green found that there are around
900,000 children living in areas subject to enhanced restrictions.
The new figures show that 61% of the over 1.4 million children
eligible for FSM...Request free trial
Nearly a million children living in areas that are subject to
Tier 2 and Tier 3 coronavirus restrictions are set to lose access
to free school meals over the holidays, according to new analysis
by the House of Commons Library.
The Library analysis, commissioned by Shadow Education
Secretary found that there are around 900,000 children
living in areas subject to enhanced restrictions. The new figures
show that 61% of the over 1.4 million children eligible for FSM
are living in areas subject to the increased restrictions.
This will leave thousands of families facing a “double whammy” as
the October half term approaches – with incomes and jobs at risk
while vital support for children is removed, as the Prime
Minister has refused to extend the provision of free school meals
over the holidays.
Labour has warned that parents will be at significant risk from
the chancellor’s “sink-or-swim” economic measures, as they were
almost twice as likely to be furloughed as other working people,
creating the serious risk of a cliff-edge for family incomes.
Today (Wednesday 21 October) Labour will force a vote in the
House of Commons on the issue of free school meals. Labour’s
motion simply calls for the provision of free school meals to be
extended over each school holiday from October half term to
Easter 2021. But without the support of Conservative
backbenchers, support will be withdrawn ahead of next week’s half
term.
Yesterday, Labour’s Shadow Children and Early Years
Minister wrote to Conservative backbenchers, urging
them to defy and support the proposals.
, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, said:
“This vote is about our values as a country and whether the
government, in the middle of this crisis, is happy to let our
children go hungry.
“Millions of families up and down the country are facing a bleak
winter of real hardship as the furlough scheme is withdrawn and
further restrictions are put in place without proper support for
businesses, jobs and livelihoods.
“It is a moral outrage that the government will happily spend
over £6,000 a day on consultants and line the pockets of Serco
shareholders in return for a Test and Trace system that has
collapsed whilst leaving almost a million children in areas
subject to Tier 2 and Tier 3 restrictions to go hungry.
“No child in our country should be waking up hungry and having to
face the day worrying where food might be coming from. But if
Tory MPs don’t do the right thing today this vital support will
be withdrawn next week and over 1.4 million children across our
country will go hungry.”
Ends
Notes to Editors
- Data from the House of Commons Library has found that there
are nearly 900,000 pupils attending schools in areas subject to
Tier 2 and Tier 3 coronavirus restrictions.
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Pupils attending schools in Tier 2 or Tier 3 areas
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England, 19 October 2020
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Lower Tier LA name
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Covid-19 restriction Tier
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Number of pupils known to be eligible for FSM
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Total pupils
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Blackburn with Darwen
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Tier 3
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5,358
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29,744
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Blackpool
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Tier 3
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6,367
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19,643
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Burnley
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Tier 3
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3,741
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15,192
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Chorley
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Tier 3
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2,295
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18,307
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Fylde
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Tier 3
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1,098
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10,095
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Halton
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Tier 3
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6,040
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19,493
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Hyndburn
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Tier 3
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2,913
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13,260
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Knowsley
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Tier 3
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6,965
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20,512
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Lancaster
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Tier 3
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3,622
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19,718
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Liverpool
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Tier 3
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20,197
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75,901
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Pendle
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Tier 3
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2,605
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15,294
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Preston
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Tier 3
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4,096
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20,766
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Ribble Valley
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Tier 3
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820
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11,854
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Rossendale
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Tier 3
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2,030
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12,374
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Sefton
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Tier 3
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7,407
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42,230
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South Ribble
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Tier 3
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2,252
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17,427
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St. Helens
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Tier 3
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5,228
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27,268
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West Lancashire
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Tier 3
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2,627
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16,714
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Wirral
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Tier 3
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10,879
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51,991
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Wyre
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Tier 3
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2,531
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14,831
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Tier 3
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99,071
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472,614
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Ashfield
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Tier 2
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4,041
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19,861
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Barking and Dagenham
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Tier 2
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8,291
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44,517
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Barnet
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Tier 2
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8,600
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66,649
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Barnsley
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Tier 2
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7,783
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34,761
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Barrow-in-Furness
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Tier 2
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1,595
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9,560
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Basildon
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Tier 2
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4,806
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28,873
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Bassetlaw
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Tier 2
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2,705
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18,092
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Bexley
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Tier 2
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5,774
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44,645
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Birmingham
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Tier 2
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61,577
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214,480
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Bolton
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Tier 2
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10,321
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53,477
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Bradford
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Tier 2
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20,938
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104,285
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Braintree
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Tier 2
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2,620
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20,740
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Brent
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Tier 2
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6,536
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51,848
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Brentwood
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Tier 2
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1,077
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16,034
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Bromley
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Tier 2
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5,875
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57,378
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Broxtowe
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Tier 2
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2,140
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15,548
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Bury
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Tier 2
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5,281
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31,368
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Calderdale
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Tier 2
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7,014
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37,871
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Camden
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Tier 2
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7,060
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32,371
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Castle Point
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Tier 2
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1,651
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13,471
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Chelmsford
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Tier 2
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2,802
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29,929
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Cheshire East
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Tier 2
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6,191
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57,837
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Cheshire West and Chester
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Tier 2
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7,514
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54,489
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Chesterfield
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Tier 2
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3,601
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15,650
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City of London
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Tier 2
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28
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2,668
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Colchester
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Tier 2
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3,695
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29,775
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County Durham
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Tier 2
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17,543
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75,876
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Croydon
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Tier 2
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13,426
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65,718
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Darlington
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Tier 2
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3,457
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16,366
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Doncaster
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Tier 2
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9,618
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48,010
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Ealing
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Tier 2
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9,224
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59,761
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Elmbridge
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Tier 2
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1,405
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23,329
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Enfield
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Tier 2
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11,238
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59,631
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Epping Forest
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Tier 2
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1,919
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19,226
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Erewash
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Tier 2
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3,303
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17,349
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Gateshead
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Tier 2
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6,135
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30,300
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Gedling
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Tier 2
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2,589
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18,975
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Greenwich
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Tier 2
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8,960
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48,433
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Hackney
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Tier 2
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11,287
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42,659
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Hammersmith and Fulham
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Tier 2
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4,725
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27,730
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Haringey
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Tier 2
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7,661
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42,670
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Harlow
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Tier 2
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2,501
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15,243
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Harrow
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Tier 2
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4,331
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41,918
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Hartlepool
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Tier 2
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4,738
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15,365
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Havering
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Tier 2
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5,697
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40,868
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Part of High Peak*
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Tier 2
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826
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4,466
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Hillingdon
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Tier 2
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7,951
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57,076
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Hounslow
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Tier 2
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7,674
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47,328
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Islington
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Tier 2
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7,938
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25,581
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Kensington and Chelsea
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Tier 2
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3,255
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25,334
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Kingston upon Thames
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Tier 2
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2,547
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30,411
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Kirklees
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Tier 2
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14,215
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69,600
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Lambeth
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Tier 2
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10,219
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39,456
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Leeds
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Tier 2
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25,488
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131,689
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Leicester
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Tier 2
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11,090
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59,855
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Lewisham
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Tier 2
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7,425
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41,716
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Maldon
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Tier 2
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889
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7,165
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Manchester
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Tier 2
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28,281
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95,478
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Mansfield
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Tier 2
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3,411
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17,779
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Merton
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Tier 2
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5,001
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33,133
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Middlesbrough
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Tier 2
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7,574
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24,986
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Newark and Sherwood
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Tier 2
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2,399
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15,554
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Newcastle upon Tyne
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Tier 2
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13,123
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45,286
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Newham
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Tier 2
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12,654
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65,468
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North East Derbyshire
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Tier 2
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2,100
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13,449
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North Tyneside
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Tier 2
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5,682
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31,264
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Northumberland
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Tier 2
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7,526
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46,127
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Nottingham
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Tier 2
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12,711
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48,235
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Oadby and Wigston
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Tier 2
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1,206
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11,484
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Oldham
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Tier 2
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9,544
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46,283
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Redbridge
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Tier 2
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7,553
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60,836
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Redcar and Cleveland
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Tier 2
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5,004
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21,942
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Richmond upon Thames
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Tier 2
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2,728
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38,711
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Rochdale
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Tier 2
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8,501
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37,472
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Rochford
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Tier 2
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1,275
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12,742
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Rotherham
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Tier 2
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8,727
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45,132
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Rushcliffe
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Tier 2
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1,686
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20,670
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Salford
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Tier 2
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9,940
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41,994
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Sandwell
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Tier 2
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13,915
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61,314
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Sheffield
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Tier 2
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20,435
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85,181
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Solihull
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Tier 2
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6,981
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42,238
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South Tyneside
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Tier 2
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5,617
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22,567
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Southwark
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Tier 2
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11,663
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50,041
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Stockport
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Tier 2
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6,251
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47,581
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Stockton-on-Tees
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Tier 2
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6,520
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33,952
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Sunderland
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Tier 2
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9,986
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41,694
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Sutton
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Tier 2
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4,862
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40,455
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Tameside
|
Tier 2
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8,143
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37,157
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Tendring
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Tier 2
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4,070
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19,539
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Tower Hamlets
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Tier 2
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15,223
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48,090
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Trafford
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Tier 2
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4,613
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44,220
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Uttlesford
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Tier 2
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825
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13,336
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Wakefield
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Tier 2
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9,285
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57,330
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Walsall
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Tier 2
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13,220
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52,771
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Waltham Forest
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Tier 2
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7,600
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45,925
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Wandsworth
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Tier 2
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6,761
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44,711
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Warrington
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Tier 2
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5,060
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32,542
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Westminster
|
Tier 2
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6,051
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32,212
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Wigan
|
Tier 2
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9,362
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48,048
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Wolverhampton
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Tier 2
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13,276
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50,168
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York
|
Tier 2
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2,728
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28,311
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Tier 2
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777,863
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4,108,689
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Tier 2 or Tier 3
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876,934
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4,581,303
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Unknown local authority
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Unknown Tier
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14
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170
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Source: House of Commons Library analysis.
- Labour is calling for the extension of free school meals
(“FSM”) to all children who are currently eligible in all of the
school holidays between now and spring 2021. This includes the
coming October half term, the Christmas holidays, February half
term and the Easter holidays.
- There are currently over 1.44 million children eligible for
free school meals, who could all benefit from this policy if it
was enacted.
Source: Department for Education, Schools, pupils, and
their characteristics: Academic Year 2019/20, 21 September
2020
https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics
- Using pupil data as of January 2020, and Covid-19
restrictions as of 19 October 2020, there were around 4.6 million
pupils attending schools in areas subject to Tier 2 or Tier 3
Covid-19 restrictions and of these around 0.9 million pupils were
known to be eligible for free school meals.
- Conservative MP and chair of the Education Committee
expressed disappointment at rejecting Marcus Rashford’s call for free school
meals to be extended over the holidays.
https://twitter.com/halfon4harlowMP/status/1316734839211675651
- The Labour led government in Wales has committed to ensuring
free school meal provisions for every school holiday until Easter
2021.
https://gov.wales/marcus-rashford-mbe-backs-welsh-government-decision-ensure-free-school-meal-provisions-every-school
- During the lockdown parents were nearly twice as likely to be
furloughed as those without children. 13.6% of parents were
furloughed, compared to 7.2% of those without children, according
to the Office for National Statistics.
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/articles/parentinginlockdowncoronavirusandtheeffectsonworklifebalance/2020-07-22
-
, Labour’s Shadow Children and Early Years
Minister, has written to Conservative backbenchers, urging them
to defy and support Labour’s plans to extend free school
meals over the holidays.
https://labourlist.org/2020/10/defy-boris-johnson-over-free-school-meals-labour-tells-tory-backbenchers/
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