aTHOUSANDS of Lancashire's poorest parents are likely to be stripped of annual school uniform grants for their children as part of county council cutbacks.

Lancashire County Council said it had difficult decisions' to make and urged parents to shop around in supermarkets for cheap uniforms instead.

The authority, which provides schooling for 177,000 children including those living in Hyndburn, Ribble Valley, Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale, also called on schools to offer systems for second-hand uniforms to be passed on.

But charities today warned scrapping the £90-a-year grants would leave some of the county's poorest and most vulnerable youngsters open to bullying.

Axeing the grants will save Lancashire County Council around £269,000 a year, according to education chief Alan Whittaker.

He has been ordered by county council leader Hazel Harding to reduce his provisional budget for 2006/07 from £133.4million to £131.426million.

Currently, 2,200 children benefit from the school uniform allowance. The grant covers youngsters going into secondary school, and whose parents receive benefits including Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance, Child Tax Credit, State Pension or money under the Asylum Act 1999.

There is no statutory responsibility for the county council to provide the grant, and Coun Whittaker today claimed many local authorities have already abandoned the scheme.

But a survey by Citizens Advice revealed 51 per cent of local authorities still provide support, while Blackburn with Darwen not only provides grants for secondary school pupils, but for primary ones too.

Some 68 per cent of councils in the North West still offer the grants.

Recent surveys have suggested the cost of a school uniform, including sports kit, for boys is £92 and for girls £114.50.

However, supermarkets claim they can lower the cost significantly although they don't supply badged clothing, such as sweatshirts and blazers, which many schools demand.

But Coun Whittaker said: "This year's budget is particularly difficult and I have had to make savings of over £2million from the budget for children and young people to keep any increase in council tax below the 5 per cent limit set by the government.

"Provision of clothing grants is discretionary and has, for some years, only been available to parents in the year the child transfers from primary to secondary school."

A spokesman for Citizens Advice said: "Not having the money to buy the correct uniform, join in activities outside the classroom, or go on school trips can mark children out as being poor, and lead to them becoming isolated within school.

"We would like the Government to introduce a statutory responsibility on councils to help."

A spokesman for One Parent Families, said: "It is ironic that a free school system imposes costs like this."

The cuts are among £15million being considered by Lancashire County Council, which, along with authorities throughout the country, is blaming a poor government finance settlement for a cash crisis.