One in four children in South Ayrshire live in poverty, a new report has revealed. 

The figures - published by the End Child Poverty coalition - show that around 4,900 (24.36%) of children in the area were classed as living in poverty - defined as 60% of the national average income after housing costs. 

This is a small drop on the previous figure of 25.74% in 2016.
However, there has been a slight shift in the makeup of poverty in South Ayrshire, with reductions in the more traditionally impoverished and rural areas and an increase in child poverty in some of the more affluent towns like Prestwick and Troon. 

The level of child poverty in Troon increased from 18.47% in 2016 to 19.18% in this year’s report.

Prestwick also saw a rise from 17.74% to 18.4. Kyle also increased from 24.44% to 26.5% over those two years. 

The areas which have seen a decrease in child poverty since the previous report in 2016 are Girvan and South Carrick (down 5.6%), Ayr North (down 1.7%), Ayr East (down 0.6%) Ayr West (down 4.7%) and Maybole, North Carrick and Coylton (down 1.9%). 

Troon Conservative Councillor Bob Pollock was shocked by the new figures. 

He said: “It is shocking to see a rise such as this, which is further evidence of the Scottish Government’s failure to reduce the poverty gap.

“Troon is often regarded as an affluent area and these figures are a stark reminder this is not the case across the board. 

“This perception can make it difficult to access additional resources – for example it was disappointing that the administration decided to limit the trial on free lunch meals to children from deprived areas to North Ayr and Girvan only, when concerns about child poverty in Troon had already been raised with them. 

“I will continue to fight to ensure that figures such as these are taken into account when decisions about how to implement funding cuts and the delivery of services are taken.”

While the figures are a clear concern they are far lower than some which have seen the more than half of children are growing up in poverty. –  compared to one in ten, in the areas with the lowest child poverty rates.

The figures also show that some of the most deprived areas of the UK have seen the biggest increases in child poverty since the coalition’s last local child poverty figures for December. 

As price rises ‘risk pushing ever larger numbers of children below the poverty line’, the coalition is calling on the Chancellor to end the freeze on children’s benefits – currently in place until the end of the decade – so that families no longer see living standards squeezed as prices rise.

Child poverty is the highest in large cities, particularly in London, Birmingham and Manchester.  

Among the 20 parliamentary constituencies with the highest levels of childhood poverty, seven are located in London, three in Birmingham, and three in Manchester.

Since the introduction of the benefit freeze, the coalition of charities, faith groups and unions has warned that as prices rise, low income families would find it increasingly hard to pay for the same basic essentials.

“It is scandalous that a child born in some parts of the UK now has a greater chance of growing up in poverty, than being in a family above the breadline’, said Sam Royston, Chair of End Child Poverty and Director of

Policy and Research at the Children’s Society.

“There can be little doubt that the Government’s policy of maintaining the benefits freeze despite rising prices is a major contributor to the emerging child poverty crisis.”

The coalition is also concerned that the impact of poverty may be exacerbated by a poverty premium – which means that low income families can face paying as much as £1,700 per year more than better off families, to buy the same essential goods and services.