Minister disputes claims of child poverty

One in five are affected, says charity chief

One in five children in Ashford are growing up on the breadline, according to a charity’s research into child poverty.

The report by The Children’s Society revealed that 5,810 of the 27,585 youngsters in the borough are living in poverty, a rate of 21%.

It is below some other areas in Kent, such as South Thanet and Dover, where the rates are at 28.1% and 27.6% respectively.

The report was addressed to Ashford MP Damian Green by the charity’s chief executive Matthew Reed.

It states: “Poverty has a devastating effect on children, harming their immediate well-being and drastically reducing opportunities throughout their lives. There are an estimated 5,810 children living in poverty in Ashford.

“Increasingly, those children that are in poverty live in a household where at least one adult is in work.

“There are 4,015 in Ashford living in this situation. We are concerned that for too many families a move into work is not a move out of poverty.”

The report says the government needs to use Universal Credit benefits to support families who need the most help, with some 12,260 children in Ashford set to be in families who receive the payments.

It also sets out concerns about families in debt, children’s mental health and homelessness, and children at risk of abuse or neglect.

Mr Reed also appealed to Dam- Ashford MP Damian Green is work and pensions secretary ian Green as the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to scrap the government’s plan to freeze benefits payments for the next four years.

But Mr Green has hit back at the report, saying: “These figures give a misleading picture of child poverty in Ashford.

“In reality, we have a much lower level of child poverty than the national average. Indeed, across the country the number of children living in poverty has fallen by 100,000 since 2010.

“But there is, of course, much more to do. I am absolutely committed to tackling child poverty.

“We know work is the best route out of poverty, and supporting more people into work and helping them progress is my top priority.”

For more information about the report visit www.childrenssociety. org.uk