INVERCLYDE Council is set to spend £100,000 to support more pupils with free school meals and clothing grants.

A total of 360 youngsters are set to benefit from a change in the earning thresholds needed to qualify.

From this year onwards families taking home no more than £915 from Universal Credit will be eligible for support as opposed to the previous threshold of £610.

For working tax credits and child tax credits this means an increase in the threshold from a previous £6,900 annual gross income to £11,288.

Last year council officers had to reject 70 applications from families for the £145 clothing grant as they were outwith the financial bracket.

The council had previously ordered a review into the situation following concerns that people on Universal Credit were losing out.

A cross party budget working group then agreed to make changes.