More than 1.5 million children in the UK are living in severe poverty, a charity has warned.
Save The Children described the figure as a “national scandal” and claimed the number is likely to grow, as Government cuts to welfare and public services bite.
It is calling on Chancellor George Osborne to counter the recent increase in VAT and rising inflation and unemployment with an emergency plan in next month’s budget.
Save The Children said even more families will struggle to get by unless more jobs are channelled to the worst-off areas and more financial help is given to parents who want to work.
Its research, carried out by New Policy Institute, found 29 local authorities in Britain have more than one in five children living in severe poverty.
For the first time, the charity has named the 10 areas believed to be the worst affected.
Manchester, with more than a quarter of children in severe poverty, has the highest proportion.
Four London boroughs are also listed, along with Leicester, Nottingham, Liverpool, Birmingham and Blackpool.
In total, it found 1.6 million children in severe poverty across the country.
Save The Children defines severe poverty as when a lone parent and child have less than £134 per week to live on and when a couple with two children have to make do with less than £240.
Head of UK policy Sally Copley said: “Children up and down the country are going to sleep at night in homes with no heating, without eating a proper meal and without proper school uniforms to put on in the morning.
“No child should be born without a chance.”
In the past couple of weeks we have seen a report that nursery charges have risen twice as quickly as wages and that children’s literacy is not good enough in early years settings; do you believe that poverty is restricting social development of children? Are parents putting more pressure on you to reduce childcare fees? Join the discussion below.
Source: Sky News
