BECKENHAM has the lowest child poverty in London.

Along with Wimbledon, only six per cent of the borough’s children are living below the poverty line (1,196 young people).

This research, undertaken for the charity End Child Poverty, puts Beckenham in the country’s top ten parliamentary constituencies for lowest child poverty.

However the level varied significantly within Beckenham itself.  The Copers Cope area was found to have 15 per cent of children living in poverty whilst for other wards such as Shortlands and West Wickham the level was less than five per cent.

Bromley and Chislehurst has a child poverty rate of 16 per cent while Orpington has a rate of 11 per cent. 

In Lewisham and Penge, one in four youngsters live below the poverty line.

The poverty line is classified as below 60 per cent of the median earnings.

Beckenham MP Bob Stewart said: “I am very pleased to learn that Beckenham is among the lowest rate in the country for child poverty at just six per cent.

“However I wish the figure was 0 per cent and therefore the government clearly has more work to do on this matter.”

Manchester Central topped the table with almost half of youngsters (47 per cent) living in poverty.

The UK has one of the worst rates of child poverty in the industrialised world.

For more information, visit endchildpoverty.org.uk/why-end-child-poverty/poverty-in-your-area