IN 2016, and in what is the fifth richest nation, we have yet another story in the Bolton News, about child poverty in our town.

More than one in five children under 16, that's 22.4 per cent of our kids, are living in poverty which is above the national average. Our elected leaders need to feel ashamed of themselves, whether it be national, or our local authority.

Many schools have applied for funding to give children a breakfast at school, 27 at present so far have applied and these are primary schools.

The blame for this lays fairly and squarely at the door of the Tory government, with its cuts to welfare and benefits, and allowing low wages, and zero-hour contracts.

Many working parents are struggling on a daily basis, because of their economic situation, and the lead up to Christmas must be a very worrying time for them.

Our Labour council must take its fair share of the blame, by allowing private companies to take over social care, and other services.

Many of these companies pay only the minimum wage, and in some cases below. Some of these outfits operate zero-hour contracts also. Workers in these circumstances cannot budget properly, not knowing what they will be earning from week to week. Enforced zero-hour contracts should be scrapped, and services should be brought back in-house, with a real living wage of no less than the official £8.45 per hour being paid to staff. The scourge of child poverty needs to be eradicated.

Alan Johnson

Bolton Green Party