Thousands of Banbury children living in poverty claims report

The statistics, released on the End Child Poverty website, show that child poverty in the UK is rising when measured against all four economic indicators used to classify poverty.

Since 2010 child poverty has increased with rates set to reach record levels by the early 2020s.

The campaign group claim 6,834 children or 23.6 per cent of children in Banbury live in poverty compared to a national average of 30 per cent. The causes are a combination of government cuts and the slow rate of wage increases.

Anna Feuchtwang, chair of the End Child Poverty coalition, said: ‘We know what causes child poverty and we know how to end it.

"We know that the income of less well-off families has been hit by severe real-terms cuts in benefits and by higher housing costs. And we know that work alone does not guarantee a route out of poverty, with two thirds of child poverty occurring in working families.

"Yet in many areas growing up in poverty is not the exception it’s the rule with more children expected to get swept up in poverty in the coming years, with serious consequences for their life chances.

"Policymakers can no longer deny the depth of the problem or abandon entire areas to rising poverty.

"The Government must respond with a credible child poverty-reduction strategy. The Government’s own data shows that child poverty in the UK has been rising steadily in recent years. She added: "This just isn’t right."

The research was conducted by Professor Donald Hirsch and Dr Juliet Stone at the Centre for Research in Social Policy at Loughborough University.

Levels of child poverty were compiled using a new, improved method for estimating child poverty using a wide range of indicators.

These were combined employing a statistical technique that is widely used in calculating local data, including by the Office for National Statistics and the World Bank.

TUC Midlands Regional Secretary Lee Barron said: “Child poverty has been pushed up by cuts to family support and to real wages for nurses, teachers and other public workers.

“Working parents across the midlands deserve better. They need a government that will make wage growth a higher priority and provide a proper safety net to keep all children out of poverty.”

To read the full report click here.