Child poverty across Bradford is highest in Yorkshire

In Bradford, 48,100 children aged under 16 were living in families with low incomes in 2019-20, Department for Work and Pensions data shows – an estimated 38 per cent of all youngsters in the area.

That was up from 35 per cent the year before, and the largest proportion in the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber.

With child poverty hitting high levels across the UK, charities are urging the Government to take action to prevent more families from falling into hardship when the crisis ends.

A family is defined as in low income if it earns less than 60 per cent of the national median household income before housing costs are considered.

Families are included in the figures if they have claimed child benefit alongside another means of support, such as Universal Credit, tax credits or housing benefit, at some point in the year.

Of the children in poverty in Bradford last year, 12,172 (25 per cent) were below school age. The majority of children (69 per cent) were in working households, while 29 per cent were in lone-parent families.

Food banks in Bradford have seen a significant increase in demand

One food bank in Bradford has spoken of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on demand for food parcels.

Graham Walker, of Bradford Metropolitan Food Bank told the Telegraph & Argus that last year they gave out 8,000 more emergency food parcels.

He said: "In 2019 we have out 12,000 bags of emergency food. In 2020 we gave out 20,000, a 67 per cent increase."

He added: "With the last budget the Government merely moved the cliff edge six months further down the line, extending the furlough for that long and failing to confirm that the £20 increase to Universal Credit will remain.

"Hence we are expecting a dreadful winter to come without a more socially-committed government strategy."

Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, leader of Bradford Council, said it was a national scandal that child poverty had increased since 2010 – with cuts to tax credits and housing benefits having a huge impact.

“We in Bradford Council have a safety net in place for the poorest in society through programmes like discretionary housing payments and the local welfare assistance scheme.

“We’ve also worked hard on an economic recovery plan to make sure we are playing our part in creating a better economy. But we need Government to also focus on economic recovery now.

“How are they going to get the country back on its feet? It’s been shown, through COVID, how disadvantaged families have been disproportionately impacted by the virus.

“It’s therefore beholden on Government to make sure the economic recovery response addresses families in poverty and gives them a leg up. Everyone deserves a second chance.”

National charities have called for changes in benefits to raise families out of poverty, amid the warnings around Covid increasing the number of families living in poverty.

Imran Hussain of Action for Children, said: “The Government is in denial over child poverty which continues to rise and threatens to torpedo its flagship plans for levelling up.

“Experts have warned that child poverty will rise even further after the pandemic, with working families facing a double threat this coming winter to their living standards as unemployment peaks and Universal Credit is cut. Three-quarters of children in poverty live in working families.”

Mr Hussain said families with children have been among the hardest hit by the pandemic. He called on the Government to make the "vital uplift" in Universal Credit permanent.

The Child Poverty Action Group said urgent was needed action. Chief executive Alison Garnham said: “Increasing child benefit by £10 per week would lift 450,000 children from poverty. One year from now we should not have to look at data showing even more children have fallen into poverty because of government inaction."

Work and pensions secretary Thérèse Coffey said average household incomes saw their strongest annual growth for nearly 20 years in 2019-20, meaning families went into the pandemic on a “firm financial footing”.

“We have since increased our support with an unprecedented package of measures targeting those with the lowest incomes to help families through a difficult year,” she added.

“Our relentless focus as we build back better is on getting Britain back on its feet through our multi-billion-pound Plan For Jobs.”