Bradford: A third of city's children 'living in poverty'

A report to Bradford Council's Health and Social Care Scrutiny Committee says 30.4% of children in the city live in poverty

Almost a third of children in Bradford are living in poverty, according to a new report.

The latest figures show 30.4% of children in the city live in a household where at least one benefit is claimed. The England average is 15.3%.

Vanda Greenwood, chair of Bradford's Health and Social Care Scrutiny Committee, said it was "shameful" and called for more government support.

The BBC has asked the Department for Health and Social Care for a response.

The figure - one of the highest in England - was published in a report examining the health of Bradford compared to other areas of the country, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service .

Presenting the report, public health consultant Duncan Cooper said if child poverty was not addressed "then we are setting up problems for future years".

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He said there were also concerns around obesity in the district, with 40.8% of children classed as either overweight or obese by the end of Year 6.

When asked what was being done, he said government funding had plummeted since 2010.

"We have less money to do the same things," he said.

"I feel we have to focus on young people. That is not saying older people don't matter, but with the diminishing amount of money we have we have to be clear about where we can make the biggest difference."

Labour councillor Ms Greenwood said: "It is shameful that 30% of our children are in poverty.

"It is tragic. We're doing all we can, but we need much more help from national government."