South London has seen a sharp rise in the number of children in poverty in working families.

The number of children whose parents work but who still live below the poverty line has risen by seven per cent in Vauxhall – up from 13.3per cent to 20.4 per cent.

That is the eighth highest rise of the 73 London constituencies, according to new analysis by Loughborough university for the End Child Poverty Coalition shows.

In Mitcham & Morden the figure has risen 6.8 per cent to 22.7 per cent.

The End Child Poverty coalition is calling on the Government to take seriously how the steady four-year rise in child poverty – predominantly in working families – has pushed families to breaking point. It wants an ambitious strategy to end child poverty in the aftermath of Coronavirus. Campaigners fear the pandemic will only deepen child poverty and draw more families below the poverty line.

Recent Office of National Statistics data showed that just under two-fifths of British parents (38 per cent) said the coronavirus was affecting their household finances. The most common impact in this group was reduced income (82 per cent), with over 3 in 5 saying their work had been affected as a result of the pandemic.

Three quarters of children in poverty in London now have at least one parent who works, up from two thirds just four years ago.

Overall in London, child poverty has increased from 14.2 per cent to 17.5 per cent – even before housing costs are taken into account – despite a small decline in the number in poverty without working parents. All of the increase is accounted for by the rise in the number of children in poverty whose parents work.