Business
Free school uniform schemes demand is rising – Telford charities
Andy GiddingsBBC News, West Midlands
Telford Crisis SupportSchemes offering help to families struggling with the cost of school uniforms have reported a growth in demand this summer.
It comes after the average cost of a school uniform was just over £340 for primary school children and around £454 for those in secondary education, government figures indicated earlier this year.
The charity Parentkind produced research this month which suggests 30% of parents go without food or heating to afford uniform and 45% rely on credit cards.
Erin Aston, from Telford Crisis Support, said: “If somebody can’t afford food they might not be able to afford other items like uniform.”
The charity runs a scheme which has been giving free school uniform to children in the Telford area since 2019 and it has grown year-on-year.
‘Branded items expensive’
In its first year it received 125 requests, but Ms Aston, the charity’s coordinator, said this year it had received 320 requests in August alone and a similar number in July, with those two months the most busy.
The charity is helped by the local authority as well as businesses and community groups.
Buying school uniform could be expensive, Ms Aston said, especially branded items such as blazers and PE kit, which are often in short supply at the charity.
But she said legislation, due to come in next year, which will limit the number of branded items schools can ask parents to buy would be a big help.
Zoe TurnerZoe Turner runs a similar scheme in nearby Shifnal, which collects donated school uniforms and then gives them away for a donation of just £1 per item.
She set up Uniforms Together at the start of the year, initially to help parents with the cost of Scouts uniform, which she said was in limited supply at charity shops.
She has been supported by Woods, the local dry cleaners, which cleans the clothing and serves as a collection point and by St Andrew’s Church, which provides venues for the sales.
‘World Book Day help’
Ms Turner said 236 items went in her first sale, in April, and another 370 were snapped up this summer, with another sale due next month, with all money going to local church groups for children.
She said her group had become “really busy” and was now taking donations for schools outside Shifnal.
Her next move is to offer prom clothes and costumes for World Book Day, but storage space has become an issue, so she has asked local businesses if they have room they can give up.
Wolverhampton City Credit UnionWolverhampton City Credit Union gives a different form of support.
Since last year it has been offering to match pound-for-pound the first £75 paid into one of its child savings accounts.
That extra money can then be spent on school uniforms.
‘Super, super busy’
Antoinette Kelly, who operates the scheme, said she believed: “Every child deserves the chance to have a new uniform on the first day of term.”
Last year 340 children were supported by the scheme and she said it had been “super, super busy” this summer.
The scheme is financed by the city council. and she expected demand this year to be even greater than last year and said it was better for families to use offers like this than to get into debt by taking out loans.
She also said Wolverhampton had numerous second hand uniform banks, based at community centres and churches around the city.
The UK must not “cut ourselves off” from trade opportunities in China despite security and business risks, the head of the Confederation for British Industry has warned.
CBI chief Rain Newton-Smith highlighted that British businesses see increased trade with Chinese firms as an opportunity to drive growth.
Her remarks came as business leaders were questioned by MPs on Parliament’s Business and Trade Select Committee regarding the UK’s economic relationship with China.
Last December, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer admitted China poses security threats to the UK but urged for greater business ties.
Ms Newton-Smith, chief executive of one of the UK’s largest business groups, was positive about the Government’s engagement with China.
“You can’t have a growth strategy without a strategy for China,” she said.
“China has the biggest contribution to global growth, is the third largest trading partner, and the world’s largest consumer market.
“The UK is second largest exporter of trade and services.
“We are mindful as all businesses are of security risks but it is really important that we have a strategy towards China.
“This Government has increased the economic engagement with China and including business within this does help us as a country.”
She added: “If we think about the future economy, there is a huge market in China and I think we mustn’t cut ourselves off from some of the opportunities there, even if in some areas there are difficult conversations and negotiations that need to be had.”
Peter Burnett, chief executive of the China-Britain Business Council, told the committee: “There are risks associated with technology advancement, AI, industrial development that they need to assess.
“Increasingly you will find them saying that they need to engage more in China to understand those risks and to develop some of the technologies along some of those risks themselves.”
Business
Trump says he’d be disappointed if Fed pick doesn’t cut rates; Warsh vows to be ‘independent actor’ – The Times of India
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he would be disappointed if his nominee for Federal Reserve chair, Kevin Warsh, does not cut interest rates right away after taking office if confirmed by the Senate. Trump, during an interview with CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” also said “we have to find out” about the construction costs of the new Federal Reserve building.Warsh, a former Federal Reserve official and financier, is currently facing Senate confirmation hearings where he has stressed his independence from political pressure.“The president never once asked me to commit to any particular interest rate decision, and nor would I agree to it if he had,” Kevin Warsh said under questioning by the Senate Banking Committee, as quoted by LA Times. “I will be an independent actor if confirmed as chair of the Federal Reserve.”Warsh told lawmakers that fighting inflation would be one of his main priorities if confirmed.“Congress tasked the Fed with the mission to ensure price stability, without excuse or equivocation, argument or anguish,” Warsh said. “Inflation is a choice, and the Fed must take responsibility for it.”The comments come as investors closely watch his confirmation hearing, with inflation remaining at 3.3% annually and global tensions, including the war in Iran pushing up gas prices, adding pressure on the economy. Higher inflation typically leads the Federal Reserve to keep interest rates steady or raise them rather than cut them, as rate changes affect mortgages, auto loans, and business borrowing.Democrats on the Senate Banking Committee accused Warsh of shifting his stance on interest rates over time, supporting higher rates under Democratic presidents and lower rates during Trump’s presidency.Warsh, if confirmed, would take over at a time when inflation pressures make it difficult for the Federal Reserve to cut rates, even as Trump continues to push for lower borrowing costs. Trump has repeatedly urged rate cuts and has long clashed with current Fed chair Jerome Powell over monetary policy. Powell has also been the subject of a Department of Justice criminal probe after refusing Trump’s requests for faster rate cuts. Trump told CNBC that he does not plan to pressure the Justice Department to end that probe.
NEW DELHI: Nestle India reported a 26% increase in net profit to Rs 1114 crore on its highest ever domestic sales of Rs 6,445 crore for the fourth quarter ended March 31, 2026, led by premiumisation, penetration and higher ad spends.“This performance was powered by double-digit volume growth, driven by over 50% increase in advertising spends, whilst delivering a healthy EBITDA margin of 26%’’, Manish Tiwary, chairman and managing director, Nestlé India said.Total sales and domestic sales for the quarter increased by 23% each, while all product groups contributed to the performance, he said.For FY26, total sales increased by nearly 15% to Rs 23,071 crore, while the net profit jumped nearly 7% year-on-year to Rs 3545 crore. The company on Tuesday also declared a final dividend of Rs 5 per equity share.The West Asia conflict is likely to have a limited impact on most packaged food companies’ Q4 performance, as it was confined to March. However, companies have flagged higher input costs driven by the rise in crude oil prices.Elaborating on the commodities outlook, he said “Edible oil prices are firm and have moved higher in line with global crude oil prices, supported by increased diversion to biodiesel’’.Meanwhile, unseasonal rains have impacted wheat production, resulting in a delayed harvest and lower quantity and quality.Commenting on coffee prices, the company said it expects prices to continue to trend lower, supported by a favourable crop in Vietnam and the forthcoming crop in Brazil.
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