A NEW report reveals that 28,148 children are living in poverty in Gwent costing the government £306 million a year.

Child Poverty Action Group has published estimates of the costs to the economy and government generated by child poverty rates in Gwent.

People can be said to be in poverty when they lack resources to obtain the type of diet, participation in activities and living conditions which are customary in society.

Each year, the Government publishes a survey of income poverty in the UK called Households Below Average income (HBAI).

This sets the poverty line in the UK at 60 per cent of the average (median) UK household income, if a household's income is less than this, HBAI considers them to be living in poverty.

For example, for a couple with two children aged 14 and under, it is an earning of under £357 per week after housing costs.

The local authority estimates, produced by Donald Hirsch of Loughborough University, are contained in a report on how all UK local authorities are trying to tackle child poverty at a time of social security cuts and upheaval.

The report, Local Authorities and Child Poverty: Balancing Threats with Opportunities, is aimed at assisting local authorities to fulfil their obligations under the Child Poverty Act to implement effective local child poverty strategies.

Chief Executive of Child Poverty Action Group, Alison Garnham, said: "Every council is required by law to have a local child poverty strategy, and the good news is that reducing child poverty benefits everyone by cutting the costs to local authority services and boosting the local economy through improved skills and qualifications for school leavers.

"Our new report will help guide authorities on the challenges they face and the actions they can take to protect families in their area against poverty; and many residents will be shocked to hear that so many local children are living in poverty."

The county with the highest number of child poverty in Wales is Cardiff with 17,440, while the highest in Gwent is Caerphilly with 9,558, placing it fourth in the UK table, closely followed by Newport in fifth place, with 7,884 children in poverty.

In Caerphilly the current extent of child poverty costs £104 million every year and a large part of this cost lands on council services, and in Newport it costs £86 million.

Monmouth has the fewest children in poverty in Gwent, with 2,055 children costing £22 million per year.

These estimate costs include those to council's social services, cost to housing services and health care, as well as lost earnings and reduced tax receipts.

She added: "We need a strong local child poverty strategy so that children growing up in Gwent have a better future, and so that we avoid having to spend on failure and can invest everyone's council tax contributions in more positive ways."

Number of children in poverty (with annual cost £m)

  • Caerphilly - 9,558 £104m
  • Blaenau Gwent - 4,227 £46m
  • Torfaen - 4,424 £48m
  • Monmouthshire - 2,055 £22m
  • Newport - 7,884 £86m