THE End Child Poverty coalition recently published updated figures for the local areas of the UK (Bolton News May 28).

Looking at the figures for Greater Manchester’s top ten highest and lowest score wards for child poverty, it is noteworthy that Bolton is the fifth highest for children in poverty in the Great Lever ward and also the fourth lowest in Greater Manchester for poverty in the Bromley Cross ward.

A further dive of the data in Britain reveals this to be a fairly common pattern in localities; some wards where the child poverty differences are between 35 and 45 per cent.

The new leader of the council suggests Bolton Council has not achieved what it could on child poverty and that better results may be found in comparable local authorities.

The first thing to do, in actual fact, is to talk about what Bolton Council officers, from junior to senior, have been doing well on anti-poverty over a number of years.

It is important because every indicator there is tells us that the roll out of universal credit here by the Conservative national government will further impoverish individuals and families.

I acknowledge that the new leader of the council says he is prioritising child poverty. I agree that outcomes should be honed in on and the new performance dashboard, implemented under a Labour Council, can be used.

Bolton Conservatives need to get real. The Tory government is causing the social fabric of this country to break down, which are the four pillars Labour believes in — Work hard and get decent pay, a ladder of opportunity and upward mobility for those who strive, top pay at fair levels compared to average wages and a minimum level of income and public service provision for all to wholly avoid destitution.

On child poverty, I am calling on the Bolton Conservatives to fund fair priced school meals, fund children's breakfast clubs, ensure free school meals and to properly seek out the views of those on poverty wages and those in hardship here.

Cllr Sue Haworth

Shadow portfolio for wellbeing, poverty, health and deprivation