Leeds and Bradford see one of the biggest increases in child poverty
That's compared to the rest of the Yorkshire region
Shocking new figures show that Leeds and Bradford has seen one of the biggest increases in child poverty, compared with the rest of Yorkshire.
In Leeds 23% percent of children were living in poverty before the pandemic, that's risen to more than 40%.
Research for the End Child Poverty Coalition shows that Yorkshire and the Humber has seen child poverty rates increase over the past five years.
Overall child poverty rates in Yorkshire and the Humber have risen by almost a fifth - from 28% to 33% - over the last five years.
"The additional £20 on universal credit is going to come to an end in the Autumn, and that's going to come to an end at the same time furlough does"
Every local authority in the region reported increases in child poverty rates, after housing costs are taken into account, however Bradford and Leeds in particular have seen their child poverty rates soar.
The Yorkshire constituencies with the most children living in poverty include: Bradford West (47%) and Bradford East (47%), closely followed by Leeds East (44%), Leeds Central (43%).
Fiona Vennell from Leeds City Council said:
"One of the things of really grave concern is that the additional £20 on universal credit is going to come to an end in the Autumn, and that's going to come to an end at the same time furlough does, and we've got 50,000 people in Leeds on furlough.
"We need to retain that £20 on universal credit and the social security system needs a huge over haul because particularly failings in universal credit like the wait for your first payment is what's pushing people into debt and into poverty."
Imran Hussain, director of policy and campaigns at Action for Children, said:
“These deeply worrying figures reveal the true extent of the hardship facing families across Yorkshire and the Humber – even before the pandemic hit. With child poverty rates rising, children in the region are among those most exposed to the devastating economic consequences of the pandemic.
“Our frontline workers tell us that poverty levels are at the worst they’ve ever seen, as they deliver vital support to families in the region desperately trying to keep their kids clothed and well-fed.
“We are desperately concerned this generation of children have had their childhoods and life chances damaged and disrupted by poverty and the pandemic. If the government truly wants to level up parts of the country hardest hit by poverty, they must scrap their plans to cut Universal Credit later this year and give families a fighting chance at recovery.”
A Government spokesperson said:
“Latest figures show that the number of children in absolute poverty has fallen by 300,000 since 2010.
“We are committed to supporting families most in need, spending billions more on welfare and planning a long-term route out of poverty by protecting jobs through furlough and helping people find new work through our Plan for Jobs. We also introduced our £269 million Covid Local Support Grant to help children and families stay warm and well-fed throughout the pandemic.”