Glasgow, London, Liverpool and Manchester have the highest numbers of poor children in the UK, according to a study published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation to mark its centenary.
The report's detailed geographical analysis of poverty found that in 180 local authority wards, more than half of the children are in families receiving means-tested benefits. Glasgow has the highest number of these wards (28), followed by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets (15), Liverpool (12) and the London Borough of Hackney (10).
The study also found that one in five children in England, Scotland and Wales live on benefits.
The Foundation has drawn up 'a road map' based on five challenges to fight poverty. These are: to sustain progress in tackling poverty; make the welfare system more supportive; reduce disadvantage based on where people live; improve the supply, quality and sustainability of housing; and build public consensus around the importance of tackling disadvantage.
The Foundation said that people's chances to escape from poverty are now more heavily influenced by where they live and that more than ever there is a need for 'socially mixed communities' to replace the segregation of poorer households.
The housing charity Shelter welcomed the report. Policy officer Jenny Neuburger said Shelter agreed with its recommendations for mixed-tenure developments and the call for more to be done to make rent more affordable.
She said, 'The Government should put more money into social housing rather than supporting people to pay housing costs.'
Strategies against poverty is at www.jrf.org.uk
