KEY national children’s charities are standing by their figures showing 61,300 East Lancashire children are living in poverty.

MPs today cast doubt on the figures provided by Campaign to End Child Poverty (CECP), an umbrella organisation which includes Barnardos, NSPCC and Save the Children.

And now councils claim the statistics - calculated by the number of children in homes where all occupants work less than 16 hours a week, or not at all, or where the full amount of working tax credit was claimed - are wide of the mark.

They released figures from the Office of National Statistics showing 20.7 per cent of families in Blackburn with Darwen and 20.4 per cent in Burnley were claiming benefits.

Meanwhile CECP had said in Blackburn 67 per cent of children (20,300 children) were said to be in poverty and Pendle and Burnley close behind at 58 per cent (12,190 and 12,220 respectively).

Hyndburn came in at 54 per cent (12,300), Rossendale and Darwen 43 per cent (9,390) and the Ribble Valley constituency 24 per cent (4,900).

As only cities finished above Blackburn in the table, it was the town with the highest rates of child poverty.

CECP Campaign chairman Martin Narey said they stood by the figures and said: ”This is not a direct measure of exactly how many children are in poverty, but the statistics indicate which areas have the highest child poverty levels.”

Pendle councillor Tony Greaves said MPs should stop ‘quibbling’ over the CECP statistics and use them to demand more help for families from the Government.

He said: “The figures are appalling, even though they may not be exact.

“Wages are low in this area and we need to be treated with a higher wage policy similar to ones in the cities.

“MPs in the area should consider that families on low wages, who need help with tax credits are going to have children who suffer. ”