MORE than a third of children in Saltcoats and Stevenston are living in poverty, a shock report has revealed.

North Ayrshire has been revealed as the second worst local authority in Scotland according to a new child poverty map of the country published yesterday by the End Child Poverty coalition.

Overall, child poverty has increased by more than three per cent over the last two years.

According to the map, which ranks each local authority by the number of children whose household income is below 60 per cent of the median level once housing costs are deducted, North Ayrshire has a child poverty rate of 30.4 per cent – second only to Glasgow with 34.1 per cent. East Ayrshire is third worst on 28 per cent, with South Ayrshire eighth on 25.7 per cent.

North Ayrshire was ranked third worst in Scotland when the last figures were released two years ago.

Saltcoats and Stevenston is ranked the worst ward in North Ayrshire for child poverty, with a rate of just under 36 per cent, while the North Coast and Cumbraes ward is placed best with 23.9 per cent.

Kilwinning and both Irvine wards are also ranked among the worst in the area. The more affluent Irvine East ward fares better with a rate of 29.6 per cent compared to Irvine West’s 35.9 per cent, while Kilwinning falls in between the two with 32 per cent.

Councillor Joe Cullinane, Leader of North Ayrshire Council, said: “We are under no illusions that child poverty is a serious and ongoing issue within North Ayrshire.

“The recent Child Poverty figures are certainly disappointing. There are many causes of child poverty, including a lack of employment opportunities, poor wages, income distribution and the impact of the Welfare Reform Act 2012.

“We are utterly committed to playing our part in addressing inequalities within our communities and, just a few weeks [ago], held a series of events during Challenge Poverty Week. That is something we must build on, and we believe that by working with our Community Planning Partners and local communities we can continue to address child poverty.

“Our Children Service Plan 2016-2020, Getting it Right For You, outlines the significant challenge that our children in poverty face.

“While in 2015-16 we spent £140 million on services to improve the lives and outcomes of children and young people living in North Ayrshire, we want to do more, particularly for those who require extra help early on, so we can prevent difficulties later on. Breaking the cycle of poverty is a complex matter, yet we remain committed to addressing this, particularly for our children.

“These are not a set of statistics that will be overturned immediately. But politicians and public bodies shouldn’t try to hide poverty - we should step up and challenge it. If we don’t then we will never achieve our ambitions to eradicate it.”

The End Child Poverty coalition includes organisations such as Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) in Scotland, Barnardo’s Scotland, One Parent Families Scotland (OPFS), Children 1st and the Poverty Alliance, and is campaigning for urgent action to be taken at UK, Scottish and local government levels to address the problem.

It wants Chancellor Philip Hammond to use his autumn budget statement to freeze children’s benefits and reverse cuts to in-work benefits, as well as calling on MSPs at Holyrood to ensure that the current draft Child Poverty (Scotland) Bill – a consultation on which concluded at the end of September – properly tackles child poverty at local level.

The Scottish Government aims to reduce the number of children living in absolute poverty to under five per cent of the population by 2030.