Thousands of Lancashire familes could be affected by benefits freeze proposals

It's been revealed that thousands of children in Lancashire could soon be living in poverty under the government's plans to freeze benefits.

The Children's Society claim that up to a million kids in the North West could be affected by the changes.

The government are putting forward plans in Parliament today to freeze Tax Credits and Job Seekers' Allowance for the next four years.

More than 30,000 familes in Blackburn would be affected by the changes according to The Children's Society, that figure jumps up to almost 40,000 affected in Wigan.

Almost two thirds of those affected in the North West – 605,000 children living in 324,000 families – live in working households who receive benefits to top-up low pay.

Rob Jackson, Area Director for The Children’s Society in the North West, said: “Families on low incomes across the North West are facing a barrage of cuts. If ministers are genuinely concerned about child poverty they must reconsider plans to freeze benefits over the next four years. At the very least, the Government needs to guarantee there will be no further cuts when the Chancellor delivers his Budget next month.

“Austerity has hit families hard, including those in work. Further cuts to support would push more children into poverty and undermine incentives for families to move into work or earn more.”

Research by the End Child Poverty coalition shows 28% of children in the UK live in poverty – and that nearly two thirds of children in poverty live in working households.