Kentish Express Ashford & District
We will support children who face poverty, pledges council
Further action has been promised to help children in poverty after a stark report which showed that one in five in Ashford were growing up on the breadline.
Last week we reported that The Children’s Society had published a report into child poverty rates in every constituency, showing that as many as 5,800 children in Ashford borough were affected.
Now Ashford Borough Council’s portfolio holder for finance, Cllr Neil Shorter, has added his thoughts on the report.
He said: “We welcome the report and the light it rightly shines on child poverty.
“We share the ambition of The Children’s Society to help disadvantaged children resolve the challenges they face and to prosper as they grow older.
“The findings of the report are stark, with one in five children deemed under the criteria in child poverty in our borough.”
He said that, since July 2013, two council officer roles had been converted to support those on welfare, with the staff originally focusing on those affected by cuts to benefits.
Since then the remit has expanded to support families with debts, health and mental health problems, those who need help to move home, those claiming benefits, and residents with other family problems.
He said the council also works alongside Kent County Coun- cil, which provides free school meals for poorer children, and alongside the Citizens Advice Bureau, as well as other services and organisations to make sure that everyone gets the help they need.
Cllr Shorter added: “It is worth stating that we don’t know of any other local authorities that have created officers with such specific roles as these to target the root cause of the issue.”