A REPORT from The Children’s Society has highlighted the poverty thousands of families in Warrington North are facing.

An estimated 10,170 children in the constituency are living in families claiming Universal Credit and Warrington North families owe a total of more than £12 million in problem debt.

Helen Jones, MP for the area, said: “This report is shocking and belies the Government’s claim to be on the side of working people and their families.

“There are 3,153 children living in in-work poverty in my constituency.

“This means that for too many families, a move into work is not a move out of poverty.”

One of the main issues is school costs, with more than £8 million being spent by Warrington families on school uniform alone.

“The extortionate costs of school uniform often mean parents have to cut back on basic essentials such as food and heating to meet uniform costs,” added Ms Jones.

The report also revealed that 750 children have been registered as being in need because of abuse and neglect, and there has been a 58 per cent decrease in early intervention grant to Warrington council between 2010 and 2015.

“If the government goes ahead with its plan to cut working tax credits they will be pushing more children into poverty,” said the Warrington North MP.