One in 10 Dacorum children are living in poverty, new figures claim

Latest figures suggest families are still very much in the depths of a crisis as inflation increases

One in 10 children in Dacorum are living in relative poverty, new figures show.

Save the Children UK said the latest figures were grim and prove families are "still very much in the depths of a crisis”.

Department for Work and Pensions figures show 3,184 children in Dacorum were living in relative poverty in the year ending April 2022.

It meant 10.2% of children were in a family whose income was below 60% of average household income and claimed child benefit and at least one other household benefit.

Of these children, 2,390 were in absolute poverty as their family's income was lower than 60% of the median income established in 2010-2011 – accounting for (7.7%) of kids in the area.

Overall, it was down from 10.3% of children who were living in poverty in 2020-21 but up from 9.6% seen in 2014-15 when comparable records began.

Becca Lyon, head of child poverty at Save the Children, said: “Families need a proper benefits system that protects them from hardship, and means children can grow up without having to know what the inside of a food bank looks like.”

Across the UK, 2.47 million children (20.1%) were in relative poverty and 1.89 million children (15.3%) were in absolute poverty.

About 18.7% of children were in relative poverty and 15.1% in absolute poverty the year before.

The charity Action for Children accused ministers of knowing what works, but “choosing not to do it”, and said help has been “snatched away” from families.

Imran Hussain, director of policy and campaigns at Action for Children, said: “It’s astonishing that, despite the pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis and the prospect of rising child poverty for years to come, the Government is not targeting help for children in low-income families.

A Government spokesperson said they are “committed to eradicating poverty and supporting those in need, and our actions have helped ensure there are nearly two million fewer people in absolute poverty than in 2009-10”.

They said the latest figures “reflect the country coming out of the pandemic and accompanying rising prices” and that record levels of support have been provided through cost-of-living payments, Household Support Fund and the Energy Price Guarantee which “will continue to hold down people’s energy bills”.