Over a third of children in Bradford are living in poverty

According to data from the Department for Work and Pensions, 36.2 per cent of those under the age of 16 in Bradford were growing up in relative poverty in 2022-23. 

This figure was down from 38.8 per cent in 2019-20 - but up from 30.2 per cent in 2014-15.

In neighbouring Leeds, 21.6 per cent of children were in relative poverty in 2022-23.

A household is considered to be in relative poverty if its income is below 60 per cent of the current median average.

Sarah Hayes, Christians Against Poverty's regional lead for Bradford and the north, voiced her concerns at the statistics.

She told the Telegraph & Argus: "Each day we see families who are living in poverty, trying to survive on incomes so low they don't even cover the basic essentials.

"Our latest polling, launched earlier this month, shows that across Yorkshire almost one in five people are skipping meals due to money worries, and over a third have restricted their energy use. 

"These include families with children. 

"In response we are asking the Government, local authorities and others to consider the impact of things like benefits deductions and rent arrears on their low-income customers, as well as ensure they're doing all they can to promote free online benefits checkers such as our capuk.org/benefitscalculator

"This year Christians Against Poverty is also looking to expand the number of our debt centres across the Bradford and Yorkshire area by partnering with more local churches, which will enable us to offer more support for local people."

Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, leader of Bradford Council, added: "It's tragic that in this day and age, we are living in one of the richest countries in the world yet we have more than a third of our children living in poverty. It should be a national priority to get these numbers back down.

Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, leader of Bradford Council (Image: Newsquest)

"Here in Bradford we have an anti-poverty strategy and we are doing our best to link families to economic opportunity.  

"The number of children in poverty in Bradford seems to have come down slightly (since 2019-20), according to these figures, however it is still too high and we see the impact of the cost of living crisis on our residents daily.

"I'd like to see Government invest more in areas where we are supporting lots of children in poverty. 

"If levelling up is to mean anything our first priority should be lifting children out of poverty and giving them the opportunities for a more prosperous future."

Figures 'horrifying'

Across the UK, the number of children living in poverty has hit a record high.

There were an estimated 4.33 million children in households in relative low income after housing costs in the year to March 2023.

This was up from 4.22 million the previous year and is above the previous high of 4.28 million in the year to March 2020.

The number of children living in poverty across the UK has hit a record high, with campaigners saying they are being failed and forgotten (Image: PA)

Children's Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, said she was "horrified" by the figures as she called for welfare reform including auto-enrolment for free school meals and more free breakfast clubs.

Meghan Meek-O'Connor, senior child poverty policy adviser at Save the Children UK, said: "Today 4.3 million children are being failed. It is an outrage that 100,000 more children are in poverty - they are being forgotten.

"These shocking figures should be an urgent wake-up call to all of us, especially the UK Government. We cannot go on like this. There is no reason children should be going without food, heating, toys or beds."

Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride said the Government had "stepped in with the biggest cost of living package in Europe, worth an average of £3,800 per household", which he said has "prevented 1.3 million people from falling into poverty in 2022-23".

He also pointed to the uprating of benefits and pensions from April and the extension of the Household Support Fund.

Downing Street said the statistics must be looked at in the context of covering a period of high inflation and said cost of living pressures on many families have now "eased", but it acknowledged others still face challenges.