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Alarm grows over children in poverty

by Alice McKeegan
4/10/2008

ALMOST two-thirds of children in Rochdale are living in or are on the brink of poverty.

Figures released by the Campaign to End Child Poverty showed that 64 per cent of young people in the town are living in low income families.

The report also revealed that 30 per cent of children in Rochdale are in families who are claiming out-of-work benefits.

Low income means families where no one is working more than 16 hours a week or where the family is receiving the full amount of working tax credit.

Campaigners say this is not a direct measure of exactly how many children are in poverty, but helps to indicate which areas have the highest child poverty levels.

Rochdale MP Paul Rowen said the statistics were ‘worrying’ and called for action to tackle child poverty.

He said: "These figures should be a wake up call to the government. It’s an absolute disgrace that we can allow poverty levels to inflate so radically."

Councillor Irene Davidson, cabinet member for children and families, added: "I am alarmed. We realise that families need all the support they can get in these uncertain economic times. We will carry on doing everything we can to support hardworking families on low incomes."

However, Rochdale’s prospective parliamentary Labour candidate Simon Danczuk called for help to boost the economy.

He said: "This research shows that much more needs to be done locally to help people into work and much more needs to be done to stimulate our local economy in Rochdale."

The poverty list was topped by Birmingham’s Ladywood constituency where 81 per cent are in low income families.

Campaign chairman Martin Narey said: "Pockets of our country are in turmoil. These figures show us that there are millions more children than originally thought being failed by the system."


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Most recent 2 of 2 user comments

   This isn't really about whether people should have children or not.Places are closing down every week which is having a devastating effect on families especially when people are on low incomes topped up with credits.The government ploughed millions into Rochdale in the form of Neighbourhood Renewal Funding which should have had an impact.The council should not see Kingsway as the answer to all of Rochdale's deprivation problems it should be offering training programmes that allow people to look a bit further a field maybe with travel subsidies to allow people to look for employment further afield this would boost Rochdales's economy.The reality is there is not much about at present which would not be solved by people not having babies.

Lynne Brosnan, Rochdale
14/10/2008 at 10:03
   I don't want to sound as though I'm being without feelings, but I do think families have to stop having children if they cannot afford the cost of bringing them up. They cannot expect the country to look after them. Also the council also has to stop handing out money they cannot afford to single parents who continue to get pregnant so they get freebies.

You have to be accountable for your own actions. I realize its not the child's fault, but, parents have to be accountable in having children knowing they have only so much money to go around every week. They have to stop complaining.
roses,
10/10/2008 at 02:26
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