The support available for struggling families in each borough of Greater Manchester

For families who rely on free school meals during term time, it can be a daunting prospect having to find the money to feed children over the long school holidays.

With the cost of living crisis looming large, many parents were already struggling to make ends meet before kids broke up from school. Thankfully councils are doing their bit to help - with cash, vouchers and free holiday clubs - but what's on offer and how much financial support you can get depends on what area you live in.

While it's families who qualify for income-based free school meals who are entitled to the funding, the figure for that is currently set at £7,400 per household, sparking calls for that to be raised.

Read more: 60+ free and cheap things to do with the kids in and around Manchester this summer

And there are further concerns that what families do receive is somewhat of a postcode lottery.

A primary school child in Stockport for instance will receive £30 over the summer, while a child in Rochdale will get £90. Poverty charity Turn2us is among those who have been raising concerns over the impact of soaring living costs on families.

Almost half its users (47%) reported being left with nothing to live on each week after paying housing, council tax and utility bills. The survey, completed by 2,730 of the charity’s service users, found that the same group of people reported weekly food costs of £75, leaving many pushed into debt just to put meals on the table for themselves and their families.

This figure rises to £93 per week for families with children, with 49% reporting to have nothing left to live on each week – a slight increase from households without children.

Michael Clarke, head of information programmes at Turn2us, said: “Every day we