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lmost 85000
children in Merseyside live in poverty - and more than 31000 in Liverpool
THE 'End Child Poverty' coalition has
published new figures providing a new Child Poverty map of the UK. There are
more than 3.5 million children living in poverty in the UK, and the new figures
reveal that 29% children in Merseyside are living in poverty.
Whilst Child Poverty exists in every part of the county, in Liverpool 33%
children are living in poverty.
The local child poverty estimates are broken down by parliamentary constituency,
local authority and ward. Child poverty is the highest in large Cities,
particularly in London, Birmingham and Manchester. Among the twenty
parliamentary constituencies with the highest levels of childhood poverty,
Liverpool Riverside features 12, with over 40% children living in poverty.
The parliamentary constituencies with the lowest levels of child poverty are
Gordon, West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, Sheffield Hallam, and York Outer,
with figures between 9% and 10%. The constituency of Theresa May (Maidenhead) is
among the 20 with the lowest child poverty.
The coalition of charities, faith groups and unions is warning that the benefits
freeze in place until the end of the decade will mean that as prices rise, low
income families will find it increasingly hard to pay for the same basic
essentials.
At the same time, recent cuts to in work support under Universal Credit further
penalise low income working families; thus pushing more working families below the
poverty line.
End Child Poverty is calling on the Government to use the upcoming Autumn
Statement to end the freeze on children's benefits, and to reverse the sharp
cuts being introduced to in work benefits under Universal Credit,
Chair of End Child Poverty Sam Royston said:- "As the Prime Minister has
rightly recognised, this is not a country that works for everyone. In every
community, there are children being denied the happy childhoods and the good
start in life other children take for granted. Our children are now twice as
likely to be poor as our pensioners.
Many families who are just about managing today, won't be managing tomorrow if
Universal Credit leaves them with fewer pounds in their pocket, and if rising
costs of living means their money doesn't stretch as far as it used to. This
month's Autumn Statement is a major opportunity for the new government to act to
help these families. We urge the Chancellor to reverse the significant cuts to
Universal Credit targeted at working families and, at the very least, shield
children's benefits from inflation." |
