Rochdale child poverty among the highest in the North West

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 1st Oct 2008

A report by the Campaign to End Child Poverty has revealed that around 64% of children in Rochdale are either living in or are on the brink of poverty.

Rochdale MP Paul Rowen has slammed the government, saying that they have failed to honour their commitment to reduce child poverty figures but the Department for Children, Schools and Families has said that local authorities should be doing more to raise family incomes, encourage people to apply for tax credit and benefits and help parents into work.

Paul Rowen said: "These figures should really be a wake up call to the government that have failed on their promise to eradicate child poverty. It's an absolute disgrace that we can allow poverty levels to inflate so radically in the 21st Century and I can only predict that things are going to get worse during the current economic climate.

"We shouldn't look at these figures as just figures - these are real families and real children that have been let down by Labour since day one."

Children in poverty are more likely to suffer form illnesses such as asthma, four times more likely to develop type two diabetes and are ten times as likely to die suddenly in infancy.

Mr Rowen continued: "These are worrying statistics. The Labour government over the last 10 years has created a dependency on the Welfare State that has trapped many local people in a spiral of poverty. I have said this before but until the government decides to look at some of the practical issues surrounding family poverty such as health and disability issues, then low earning families are less likely to see more progress. The Lib Dems have put forward proposals to eradicate child poverty such as cutting down the bureaucracy in means tested benefit, providing new resources for educating the most disadvantaged children and increasing child benefit."

Councillor Irene Davidson, Cabinet Member for Children, Schools and families said: "I am alarmed at these figures that have been recently released. The government have really let areas that previously relied heavily on manufacturing and industry, like Rochdale, down. This year, we as a council managed to secure the first council houses to be built in Rochdale for over 25 years as we realise that families need all the support they can get in these uncertain economic times.

"I can assure residents of Rochdale that we, as a council, will carry on doing everything we can to support hardworking families on low incomes."