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Almost 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."