Bolton's rate of child poverty is the third highest in Greater Manchester with more than half of children below the breadline in one area.

The borough's rate of child poverty was 41.6 per cent in 2022, up from 32.8 per cent in 2014, according to data obtained by Loughborough University and published by End Child Poverty Coalition in a report this week.

The figure is the third highest in Greater Manchester, behind the boroughs of Manchester and Oldham, and the 14th highest in the UK.

But the figure is not a reflection of the scale of the problem in one area, the constituency of Bolton South East, with more than half of children below the breadline after a rise of more than 12 percentage points since 2014.

Graham Whitham, a spokesperson for End Child Poverty Coalition and the chief executive of Greater Manchester Poverty Action, described the situation as 'shocking' but not 'surprising'.

Mr Whitham said: "We urge employers across Greater Manchester to pay the Real Living Wage, which reflects the real cost of living in a way that the minimum set by government doesn't. 

"We also encourage authorities to develop anti-poverty strategies which implement robust responses to poverty, and to use the Household Support Fund to give families money rather than support such as food parcels and energy vouchers.”

READ MORE: Bolton Household Support Fund to help residents with cost-of-living.

The definition of children in poverty is children who live in households with an income of less than 60 per cent of the average in the UK.

An increasing proportion of these children in poverty now live in households where at least one of their carers or their parents is in work.

A spokesperson for Bolton Council said: "Like many parts of Greater Manchester, Bolton faces a number of challenges in terms of inequality and deprivation. As a council, we are committed to giving every child the best possible start in life.

"We work closely with schools, health services and the voluntary sector to deliver support, offer guidance and increase access to opportunities. This is alongside ongoing work to boost the economy, build skills in the workforce and address health inequalities."

The top 10 authorities for child poverty in Greater Manchester:
Manchester - 44.7 per cent
Oldham - 43.6 per cent
Bolton - 41.6 per cent
Rochdale - 40.5 per cent
Salford - 37.4 per cent
Tameside - 36.1 per cent
Bury - 34.2 per cent
Wigan - 31.1 per cent
Stockport - 26.6 per cent
Trafford - 22.3 per cent

The top 10 constituencies for child poverty in Greater Manchester:
Oldham West and Royton - 51.3 per cent
Bolton South East - 50.9 per cent
Manchester Gorton - 50.8 per cent
Blackley and Broughton - 49.4 per cent
Oldham East and Saddleworth - 48.6 per cent
Manchester Central - 48.1 per cent
Bolton North East - 45.9 per cent
Rochdale - 44.8 per cent
Ashton-under-Lyne - 41.6 per cent
Salford and Eccles - 37.3 per cent

This article was written by Jack Tooth. To contact him, email jack.tooth@newsquest.co.uk or follow @JTRTooth on Twitter.