The outrageous scale of child poverty in Merseyside has been revealed in a startling new report.
Around one in three children across the Liverpool City Region - which is as high as one in two in some communities - are living below the poverty line, with the figures described as "devastating".
They have come from research published by the End Child Poverty coalition, and highlight how the issue is on the rise particularly in deprived areas, also pointing to severe real-terms cuts in benefits, the roll-out of Universal Credit and rising housing costs.
The eye-opening figures show that in Picton in Wavertree , Liverpool, 49.9% of children are living below the breadline, while in Stockbridge Village, Knowsley , that figure is 41.3%
Steve Rotheram , Mayor of the Liverpool City Region condemned the "scourge of child poverty".
He said: “It is devastating that one in three children in our city region are growing up in poverty, whilst some communities are so blighted that almost every other child is growing up below the poverty line.
“During a decade-long programme of cuts we have seen child poverty rise year-on-year. This is betraying a generation of young people and we cannot allow this level of want to become normalised."
The figures showed Liverpool as having the highest figure for children living in poverty after housing costs had been taken into account - at 36% - highest of the City Region's six local authorities.
The next highest was Knowsley with 32%, Halton with 31%, St Helens with 30%, Wirral on 29% and Sefton with 27%. The average for the region was 31%.
The End Child Poverty coalition said government action was needed to prevent entire areas being "abandoned", calling on the UK Government to act.
Anna Feuchtwang, chair of the coalition, said: "Growing up in poverty means growing up trapped. It restricts a child’s chances of doing well at school, of living a healthy and happy life, and of finding well paid work as adults. We urgently need Government to set a course of action that will free our children from the grip of poverty."
She called on the government to take measures such as reversing cuts and investing more in children's services, ending the two-child limit on child allowances in tax credits and restoring the link between benefits and inflation.
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Mayor Rotheram added: “While we are doing good work locally to improve the life chances of those from disadvantaged backgrounds it is clear we are now facing a national crisis when it comes to child poverty.”
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He said the city region combined authority was working to tackle poverty in the area through schemes such as the £8m Households into Work programme, which is working with 800 long-term unemployed to remove barriers from getting back into work.
That's as well as £400m to create 9,000 jobs and 5,500 apprenticeships, and a £500m strategic investment fund, designed to transform the city region's economy. by creating jobs and boosting living standards.
