McMahon demands action on child poverty in Oldham

Statistics from the End Child Poverty coalition show that Oldham West and Royton has the second highest level of child poverty in the North West, with 11,776 children trapped in poverty or 46.1% of children in the constituency.

The latest round of statistics* is from before the pandemic (from 2019/20), but Oldham West and Royton MP Jim McMahon worries that the Government have not grasped the scale of the challenge facing them in towns like Oldham.

Mr McMahon said: “Under the last Labour government more than a million children were lifted out of poverty, for all of this hard work to be reversed under this Conservative Government.

"A government who’s own social mobility commission warned that its policies are pushing children into poverty.

“This is a government tried their hardest to not feed vulnerable kids during school holidays - they had to be shamed into it twice, a government that has altered the way that pupil premiums are calculated meaning that schools are being denied hundreds of millions of pounds to support children who need it most.

“And it’s worth reminding ourselves that these figures are pre-pandemic, they show the scale of the challenge that families across Chadderton, Oldham and Royton have faced for years now keeping their children well fed and clothed.

“It’s clear to anyone who knows anything about poverty that the government should cancel its plans to cut Universal Credit by £20 a week this October to prevent more families being pushed into poverty.

“For too many people work simply doesn’t pay enough to get by.

"Low pay, insecure work with little progression is not a fair reward for what people are asked to do.

"The social contract at its very core is broken.

“The Tory Party have been in government for 11 years now, the problem has increased under their watch.

"This isn’t the time for excuses. This is the time for action.

"I got involved in politics to improve the lives of people in my community, and that includes our children.

“The people of Chadderton, Oldham and Royton have my word that I will do all I can to push the Government to eradicate child poverty and leave no child behind.”

*The research uses the child poverty data published by the DWP along with housing data to calculate the levels of after housing cost child poverty for every constituency and local authority in the UK and its change over five years (2014/15 – 2019/20).

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