Ten areas with worst rates of child poverty revealed

The 10 constituencies with the worst rates of child poverty in Britain were revealed today by research.

Manchester Central, Liverpool Riverside and Poplar and Canning Town, London, top the list, compiled by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, with around half of children living in poverty – double the national average.

They were closely followed by Glasgow North East, and Tottenham, Hackney South and Shoreditch, all in London.

The figures were launched to coincide with a day of action on child poverty being run by Save the Children.

Colette Marshall, UK director of Save the Children, said: “Despite the boom in affluence, illustrated by ever-rising house prices, these figures show that cities remain the places most scarred by poverty.”

She added that without “urgent action” this year the government would fail to meet its target to end child poverty by 2020.

Save the Children is calling on the government to use the budget and the comprehensive spending review to tackle child poverty. It also wants ministers to introduce seasonal grants to help parents pay for fuel and clothing bills.