Deyika Nzeribe, Co-Chair of Manchester Green Party
said "This should be the minimum aim if Manchester City Council wants to
show its commitment to tackling child poverty seriously. Following the elections, we now know we have
a purely Conservative government in place for the next 5 years. We can expect
deeper cuts causing far more hardship. Labour council leaders must act now! We
can't leave this issue to be dealt with by foodbanks."
He added:
"While council leaders are in the news being photographed with topTories like George Osborne, in the much spoken about race for a Greater
Manchester Mayor and devolution from central government, these incredible
levels of child poverty must not be forgotten."
EndChildPoverty [has reported that 39% of
families with children in Manchester live in poverty, which is nearly 10% more
than every major city in the North of England. This is despite Manchester being
the third wealthiest city in the country. Moreover, the figure of 39% of
families with children in poverty is just the average across Manchester. In
Hulme it is 47% and Moss Side its 49%, with Rusholme, Longsight and Ardwick
suffering similar deprivation.
The Greens say that though politicians in the
city frequently point to the government as being responsible, other Labour
councils in the North have notably lower levels of child poverty. Following
this year’s elections, Manchester has a 100% Labour Council and the MP for
Manchester Central, the constituency where child poverty is worst, is the
shadow minister for Children and Families.
Deyika Nzeribe stated: “Even if some people or
politicians were to feel no moral urgency to act, it should be recognised that
lowering poverty and inequality also improves health and reduces crime within a population, reducing the cost to the state It should be an aspiration of a healthy, growing city to be reducing and eradicating child poverty."
