More than a fifth of children living in Yate and Thornbury were in poverty in 2019/20, according to figures published today.

Research undertaken by Loughborough University for the End Child Poverty Coalition found 21 per cent of those aged 15 and under, or 3,332 children, lived in a family earning below 60 per cent of the median income once housing costs were taken into account.

The charity attributed their findings to stagnating family incomes and rising house prices.

“The figures speak for themselves – the situation for children couldn’t be starker. We all want to live in a society where children are supported to be the best they can be, but the reality is very different for too many,” said Anna Feuchtwang, chair of the End Child Poverty Coalition.

“The UK Government can be in no doubt about the challenge it faces if it is serious about ‘levelling up’ parts of the country hardest hit by poverty.

“After the year we’ve all had, they owe it to our children to come up with a plan to tackle child poverty that includes a boost to children’s benefits and they need to scrap plans to cut Universal Credit given parents and children are having a tough enough time as it is.”

Universal Credit was raised by £20 per week during the pandemic, but earlier this month cabinet minister Therese Coffey signalled this will be cut again before winter.

For a single parent with one child, 60 per cent of the median income after housing costs is £223 week, and for two adults with two children, £400 a week.

One in seven children were growing up in poverty in the areas with the lowest rates, whereas parts of London and Birmingham saw over half of children in poverty.

Anna Feuchtwang, chief executive of the National Children’s Bureau said: “Poverty can hold children back in many different ways. It can mean children don’t reach a good level of health or development, do well in school or reach their potential in employment.

“The Government has pledged to level up communities worst hit by poverty. Boris Johnson must acknowledge that there are pockets of deprivation where children are growing up in families that can barely afford the basic necessities of life."

The Government uses a different measure of child poverty and said between 2009/10 and 2019/20 absolute child poverty (after housing) fell from 28 per cent (3.7million) to 25 per cent (3.5million).

A spokesman said: “Latest figures show that the number of children in absolute poverty has fallen by 300,000 since 2010.

“We are committed to supporting families most in need, spending billions more on welfare and planning a long-term route out of poverty by protecting jobs through furlough and helping people find new work through our Plan for Jobs.

“We also introduced our £269 million Covid Local Support Grant to help children and families stay warm and well-fed throughout the pandemic.”