Record number of children in Luton living in poverty

It comes as charities urged the Government to stop planned welfare reform, warning the changes will push more families into poverty.

Figures from the Department for Work and Pensions show 18,342 children under 16 in Luton were living in relative poverty in the year to March – up marginally from 17,990 the year before and the highest since comparable records began in 2013-14.

It meant 34 per cent of children in the area were in households whose income was below 60 per cent of the average income, and also claimed child benefit with at least one other household benefit.

Across the UK, 2.7 million (22 per cent) children were living in relative poverty, including 216,194 (18 per cent) children in the East of England.

This national number increases to over 4.4 million children when looking at income after housing costs and including kids aged between 16 and 19 in full-time education – the highest number since national records started in 2002-03.

Save the Children warned that, without immediate action, "this could be the first Labour government that oversees a significant rise in child poverty – a record no one wants" and described the latest data as "a source of national shame".

The End Child Poverty coalition added the data should be seen as a "stark warning" to Government, adding record-high numbers of children in poverty "isn't the change people voted for".

The Government's own impact assessment, published on Wednesday, estimated welfare reforms planned by Chancellor Rachel Reeves could see 250,000 more people, including 50,000 children, fall into poverty by 2029-30.

However, the Chancellor told Sky News she is "absolutely certain" her reforms will not push people into poverty.

She added: "We know that if you move from welfare into work, you are much less likely to be in poverty."

Charities urged a U-turn on the plans, saying the announced cuts to disability and incapacity benefits will "push more disabled people into poverty and worsen people’s health".

Work and pensions minister Sir Stephen Timms told MPs in the Commons the latest figures "show just what a huge challenge" the "very high level of child poverty that's left by the previous government" is for Labour.