Child Poverty : One In Five Below Threshold

Almost half of children in some areas live in poverty, according to new figures that show a huge disparity across the UK.

One in five British children live below the poverty line - with almost half under the threshold in some areas, according to new research.

Almost half of children in some areas are below the poverty line

Manchester Central is the poorest area, with 47% of children living in poverty, followed by Belfast West and Glasgow North East on 43%.

Sheffield Hallam has the lowest rate, according to figures from End Child Poverty, with just 5% in the category.

Areas of Liverpool and Middlesbrough also had four in 10 children living in poverty in 2012, the research showed.

Children are classified as being in poverty if they live in families on out-of-work benefits or in-work tax credits where their reported income is less than 60% of median income.

The new figures show eight areas of large cities have more than 40% of children in this category, down from 19 in 2011.

They reveal the wide disparity across the UK and within regions.

In London, Poplar and Limehouse has a child poverty rate of 41%, compared to just 7% in Richmond.

In the North West, 38% of children in the local authority area of Manchester are poor but in the Ribble Valley the figure is just 7%.

Most areas have seen broad improvement since 2011 apart from in some areas of the North of England.

  

Graph: Child Poverty Rates Across Britain

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In Newcastle, 38% of children were poor in 2012, compared with 29% in 2011, while in Middlesbrough the figure rose to 40% from 38% in the previous year.

Enver Solomon, chair of End Child Poverty, said: "The child poverty map reveals the depth and breadth of child poverty across the country, showing the gross levels of inequality that children face in every region."

The charity called for councils to prioritise low income families as they make decisions about welfare spending and urged the Government to consider what more it can do.

Rhian Beynon, of the support charity Family Action, described the findings as "devastating" and demanded that the Government explain how it will address them.

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