HYNDBURN MP Graham Jones said he was ‘concerned’ about poverty in the borough. The gap between the highest and lowest-earning families grew by 14 per cent in the past three years, a report by Aviva found.

Mr Jones said the Family Finances Report, which also showed divorced, separated or widowed parents had seen their monthly incomes fall by 14 per cent in the same period, made for ‘sober reading’.

He said: “We are all aware of how the cost of living crisis is affected household incomes.

"But what is perhaps less often talked about is the flipside of this – the fact that less savings means that families have less to fall back on should they face an unexpected cost or circumstance.”