£1m towards fighting city child poverty 'crisis'

City leaders are to commit more than £1m towards a programme to tackle "crisis levels" of child poverty.

A report to Liverpool City Council warns 40% of children in the city are living in poverty - the highest rate in Merseyside.

These youngsters are typically up to 19 months behind their peers in language and communication by the time they start school, it warns.

Later this month, the council's cabinet will commit £1.19m to Citizens Advice Liverpool to support its anti-child poverty work.

The report says Liverpool "faces a critical child poverty crisis" and goes on to highlight that the rate in Liverpool is "significantly higher than the national average and reflects Liverpool's status as the third most deprived local authority area in England".

It adds that about 28,000 children - 33% of under-16s - live in "relative low-income families".

"In some specific areas, such as the Liverpool Riverside constituency, this figure rises to 47%.

"A growing proportion of these children come from 'in-work' households," it states, adding: "In the wider Cheshire and Merseyside region, 64% of children in poverty live in families where at least one parent is working."

The funding to Citizens Advice Liverpool will help it recruit staff to work in Family Hubs to "increase access to help and support" and "maximise impact, avoid duplication and increase reach".

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