A fifth Greater Manchester MP now says homeless children in temporary accommodation should be given a free bus pass.

Lisa Smart, MP for Hazel Grove, is the latest figure to call on mayor Andy Burnham to make the move.

She follows in the footsteps of fellow Stockport Lib Dem MP Tom Morrison, who represents Cheadle, and a trio of Labour figures: Salford's Rebecca Long-Bailey, Bury South's Christian Wakeford, and Yasmin Qureshi for Bolton South and Walkden.

Experts working with some of Greater Manchester's poorest say families facing homelessness face a difficult choice.

That's because Greater Manchester's homeless families are often placed in temporary accommodation miles away from home by councils, so their children move from walking to school to being a long journey away.

Council rules say children can only get free transport if they move more than two miles from home and there is no 'suitable school' nearer. But it's near-impossible to be further than three miles from a school in the city.

That presents homeless parents a choice: Fork out for buses they previously didn't need to pay for, or move their children to a different school, if places are available.

"One of my earliest cases as an MP was getting a bus pass for a child who was having to walk miles to and from school every day, because of where he and his mother had been forced to move to," said Lisa Smart.

"Children should never suffer in these circumstances, and this is a great campaign to remove one of those barriers.

"There are simply too many challenges for young people in difficult circumstances, as we see in the pressures on budgets for children with special educational needs."

Previously, a mayoral spokesperson said: "We are doing a lot to make travel easier and more affordable for everyone in Greater Manchester, including children and young adults. That includes £1 single bus fares, free travel for 16-18-year-olds, an extension of free travel for care leavers and, from next month, half price bus travel for 18-21-year-olds.

"Transport for Greater Manchester is currently undertaking a broader review of concessions, considering all the requests for support that we get from a range of groups across the city-region, and the Mayor has asked them to ensure this is included."

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