The Cambs area with the most children growing up in poverty

The rate of child poverty in Cambridgeshire as a whole however, is lower than the rate across the UK as a whole

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The number of children living in poverty across Cambridgeshire is on the rise, with almost half of kids in one part of Peterborough below the breadline. Over 30,000 children under the age of 16 were living in poverty in Cambridgeshire during the year ending April 2025, and that’s even before housing costs were taken into consideration.

It works out as one in every six kids in the county (17 per cent). Tackling child poverty was a manifesto pledge by Labour in the July 2024 general election, but the issue grew slightly in Cambridge in the party’s first 10 months in power.

Last year’s total was up from under 30,000 in 2023/24. Some parts of our county have far higher rates of child poverty than others.

The electoral ward of North in Peterborough had a total of 3,178 children living in poverty last year. That works out as nearly half (47 per cent) of children living in the area. That’s a higher rate than any ward in Cambridgeshire, though it only ranks 84th highest in the country.

In fact, Peterborough has all of the county’s top five wards with the highest rates of child poverty. Dogsthorpe has a rate of 40 per cent, Park has a rate of 39 per cent, Central Peterborough has one of 37 per cent as does East Peterborough and Wisbech South in Fenland.

You can check out the childhood poverty rates in your area by using our interactive map. Either enter a postcode in the search tool or select an area on the map:

The child poverty rate is lower in Cambridgeshire than it is across the UK as a whole. A total of 2.43 million children under the age of 16 were living in poverty in the year ending April 2025, according to the Department for Work & Pensions’ figures.

That’s before housing costs are even taken into account, meaning that nearly one in five children (19 per cent) are living in poverty in the UK. Pendle had the highest rates of child poverty of any council area in the country. Around two out of every five children living in the area (41 per cent of them) were below the breadline last year.

That’s followed by Birmingham with 40 per cent of children, Bradford with 39 per cent, Oldham with 38 per cent, Burnley with 37 per cent and Hyndburn also with 37 per cent.

Sophie Livingstone MBE, chair of the End Child Poverty coalition, said: “One child growing up in poverty is one child too many and the figures show the huge scale of the problem as families face renewed cost of living fears.

“Securing a true assessment of the scale of child poverty in the UK is essential and it’s something we have called on ministers to carry out for many years. We are pleased that more accurate data is now available. This is going to help ministers and community leaders tackle child poverty in the regions of the UK that need it most.

“Scrapping the two-child limit to benefits was a good start but there is still work for the UK Government to do and continued investment to be made to give children the best start in life.”

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Pat McFadden said: “This government is determined to turn the tide on poverty after years of rising hardship. The statistics show that effort is beginning to make a difference – household incomes have risen 5 per cent in real terms, food bank usage has fallen, and food insecurity is down.

“But we know there is more to do. That is why we are raising the National Living Wage by up to £900 a year for a full-time worker, cutting average energy bills by £150 from April, and delivering our Child Poverty Strategy which will lift 550,000 children out of poverty by the end of this parliament.”

Chief executive of Child Poverty Action Group Alison Garnham said: “Growing up in poverty damages children’s everyday lives and future chances. Removal of the two-child limit next month is an important first step in making life better for kids. With four million children living in poverty, government will have to invest in sustained support for children and families to meet its ambition to give every child the best start.”

The government has used a new methodology for this year’s childhood poverty report. That means that figures reported in 2025 are not comparable to those reported this year. The number of children living in poverty has either increased or decreased, depending on whether you take housing costs into account or not.

With housing costs, the number of children living in poverty fell by 27,000 last year. Before housing costs, however, the number rose by 70,000 over the course of the year.

Wards with the highest rates in Cambridgeshire

National rank. Ward, council: % of children in poverty

84. North, Peterborough: 47%

185. Dogsthorpe, Peterborough: 40%

211. Park, Peterborough: 39%

282. Central, Peterborough: 37%

282. East, Peterborough: 37%

282. Wisbech South, Fenland: 37%

377. Ravensthorpe, Peterborough: 35%

503. Wisbech North, Fenland: 33%

503. Paston and Walton, Peterborough: 33%

673. Orton Longueville, Peterborough: 31%

673. Wisbech Riverside, Fenland: 31%

773. Wisbech Walsoken & Waterlees, Fenland: 30%

1013. Elm & Christchurch, Fenland: 28.%

1285. March West & Benwick, Fenland: 26%

1285. Bretton, Peterborough: 26%

1285. Fletton and Stanground, Peterborough: 26%