One in five children live in poverty

More than one in five children in Rotherham and Barnsley are living in poverty.

John Healey MP has revealed Child Poverty Action Group figures showing 22% of Barnsley children and 21% of Rotherham youngsters live in poverty.

The MP said: “Labour lifted more than half a million children out of poverty, and set in law a target to end child poverty by 2020.

“Child poverty was falling until early 2011, but that progress is now being reversed.

“The number of children trapped in long term poverty is set to rise as the government plough on with spending cuts and policies like the bedroom tax.”

Work is the best route out of poverty but the cost of childcare has been rising and is now the highest in history.

In addition, an average of three Sure Start centres is being lost every week, contributing to 35,000 fewer childcare places under the Coalition.

Labour has pledged to:

• extend free childcare for three and four-year-olds from 15 to 25 hours per week for working parents of three and four-year-olds, funded by increasing the banking levy

• introduce a legal guarantee of access to wrap around care 8am to 6pm at primary schools

The Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister’s constituencies have some of the lowest levels of child poverty in the country.