On this Government’s watch, and under the control of Swindon Tories, the attainment gap between disadvantaged children and their peers has widened

New research out this week from the End Child Poverty campaign group shows a steep incline in child poverty across Swindon, as high as 40% in some parts of the borough.

New research out this week from the End Child Poverty campaign group shows a steep incline in child poverty across Swindon, as high as 40% in some parts of the borough.

The campaign group are calling for politicians of all parties to urgently set out a clear roadmap towards ending child poverty which includes the additional actions needed and the measures by which progress will be tracked.

Commenting on the report, Anne Snelgrove, Labour's parliamentary candidate in South Swindon said:  "On this Government's watch, and under the control of Swindon Tories, the attainment gap between disadvantaged children and their peers has widened. This report gives a damning verdict of the Tories' failures in education.

"It is timely that this report comes in the same week that the council announce they will spend £150K on funding for four family health workers, despite cutting over £1million from Swindon's children's centres over the last two years leading to seven of them closing.

"Clearly this is the wrong time to cut Children's Centres: parents and children in Swindon deserve better.