COUNCIL leader Mehboob Khan last night urged a united approach to tackling poverty in Kirklees.
He said it was an issue that transcended political and ward boundaries, and one that needed work from many different agencies.
And he revealed that he had grown up as a child in a home with an outside toilet and no bathroom.
Clr Khan was giving the Kirklees’ response to a hard-hitting report which showed that 20,500 youngsters in the area are living in poverty.
He said many things had been done to try and help.
These included:
Focus on early intervention – providing help for families and children
Improving educational outcomes for all with a focus on narrowing the gap between those who are affected by poverty and their peers
Improving the take up of free school meals and other benefits
Providing adults with the chance to upgrade their skills and qualifications
Stepping up efforts to bring empty homes back into use
Clr Khan said: “Our vision for Kirklees is that by 2014 life chances are improving and inequalities are reducing. The recession, increasing unemployment and joblessness and the associated austerity and public spending reductions is pushing more people into poverty.
“Poverty is still a day to day reality for too many Kirklees residents, with 1 in 5 children living in poverty, 1 in 6 working age adults not working and claiming benefits and 1 in 5 older people in Kirklees in poverty.
“Only if we all work together will we make an impact on poverty in Kirklees – it should be the priority of all of us.”
