MORE than 10,000 Bournemouth children are living in poverty, according to a shock new report.

The End Child Poverty Coalition says that 5,320 children in the Bournemouth East constituency and 4,908 in Bournemouth West reside in households where their income is less than 60 per cent of the average.

In two of the town’s wards nearly 40 per cent of the children are living in poverty. This includes 38.94 per cent of the children in the East Cliff and Springbourne ward – 899 children - and things are nearly as bad in the Kinson South ward where 38.26 per cent – 901 children – are judged to be in the same circumstances.

The End Child Poverty Coalition - a campaign group made up of more than 100 interested organisations, from children’s charities, child welfare organisations, social justice groups, faith groups and trade unions - has published the details for every council ward in the UK.

Calculating rates on an after housing costs basis, their report claims that nearly 600 children in Hamworthy West are living in poverty with 35 per cent of children in the Boscombe West ward existing in a similar financial condition. Kinson North fares little better, with 32 per cent of its children – more than 650 individuals – living in poverty. In leafy Christchurch there are reported to be 459 children in the Grange Ward in this measure.

More worrying still, however, are the numbers of children in poor households in areas traditionally considered more prosperous.

Nearly 25 per cent of the children in Highcliffe and nearly 20 per cent of children in Mudeford and Friars cliff in Christchurch are living in poverty, as are 254 children in Talbot and Branksome Woods in Bournemouth. Twenty-eight per cent of the children living in Queen’s Park and 72 children in Canford Cliffs – which includes the millionaire’s playground of Sandbanks – are considered to be living in poverty.

Cllr Norman Decent is one of three Conservative councillors representing Kinson South where nearly 40 per cent of children are living in poverty, according to the report.

“Poverty is a national problem, you can’t say we’re just going to reduce poverty in Kinson South,” he said. “All we can offer these people is our help and support. If I had the answer to it all I think this country would be in a much better state than it is now.”

He said the area had ‘the most incredible amount of groups’ to help people with their problems and that included the councillors themselves.

*More detailed breakdown at endchildpoverty.org.uk/poverty-in-your-area-2018/