Third of Bristol children living in poverty as city records highest levels in South West

New research from the charity Action for Children has found that a third of children in Bristol are living in poverty.

The report published today (July 12) found that the city had the highest levels of child poverty in the South West, where the average is 24.7%.

It found that across Bristol there were 26,354 children living in poverty in 2020/2021.

For low income families this can mean using foodbanks, parents skipping meals to feed their children and not being able to afford school uniforms.

But Bristol is not the only area in the South West where levels are higher than the average, as the research also found a third of children in Torridge and Cornwall were also living in poverty.

Imran Hussain, Director of Policy, Action for Children, said: "Poverty destroys life chances. You cannot level up the country with millions of children in poverty so it’s vital the Government brings forward a credible plan to reduce poverty."

According to the charity, a child is considered to be growing up in poverty if they live in a household whose income is 60% below the average income for that year, after housing costs are into account.

Nationally 3.9 million children were found to be living in poverty in the UK.