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Map reveals shocking truth of child poverty

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A child poverty map has shown one in every three youngsters face hardship growing up in Glasgow.

The research, compiled by The Campaign to End Child Poverty and Loughborough University, suggested Glasgow was the worst-affected local authority area for child poverty.

Across Scotland 220,000 youngsters - or one in five children - were living in poverty, the reserach revealed.

The organisation, a coalition of children's charities, child welfare organisations, social justice groups, faith groups and trade unions, said politicians at Westminster and Holyrood needed to act to tackle the root causes of poverty.

The figures showed that in Clackmannanshire, Dundee, East Ayrshire, Inverclyde and North Ayrshire, more than a quarter of all children were growing up in families that were struggling to get by.

The local authority with the lowest rate was found to be Shetland, where one in 10 children were living in poverty.

The group is calling on the UK government to rethink tax and benefit policies, claiming these could leave as many as 100,000 more children in poverty by 2020.

There is nothing inevitable about this poverty - Neil Mathers

End Child Poverty spokesman Neil Mathers said: "These figures reveal just how widely and deeply child poverty reaches into our communities.

"It's important we look behind these figures at what is driving this level of poverty in our country.

"Politicians of all parties, at Westminster and Holyrood, need to act to tackle the root causes of poverty, including low pay and soaring housing and childcare costs.

"There is nothing inevitable about this poverty. We must build on the good work that is happening in Scotland to support families."

The figures reveal the wide disparity in poverty rates across the UK, between regions and striking variations even within regions.

London scores badly - containing 10 of the top 20 constituencies with the highest child poverty rates in the UK and 14 of the 20 highest-rate local authorities.

However there is variation within regions. For example, in London, Bethnal Green and Bow has a child poverty rate of 49% compared to 15% in Richmond upon Thames.

Against the rest of the UK Scotland fared better. Glasgow came 13 in the 20 worst affected parliamentary constituencies in the country – the only one in Scotland to feature in this list.

And no Scottish area features in the 20 worst affected UK local authority areas for child poverty.

It comes after a conference in Glasgow heard the number of Scottish children living in poverty will increase by 100,000 by 2020 because of Westminster's benefit cuts, according to the Scottish Government.

Speaking at the annual Poverty Alliance conference, deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said families across Scotland are being hit hard by UK government changes to the benefit system with the situation only expected to get worse over the next six years.

Local authorityPercentage of child poverty
Glasgow 33%
Dundee City 28%
East Ayrshire 26%
Clackmananshire 26%
Fife 24%