A CHARITY has claimed thousands of children in Bradford do not have a proper bed to sleep in.

Buttle UK, which helps children and young people in crisis by providing grants to vulnerable families across the UK, has analysed figures published earlier in the year by the End Child Poverty Campaign.

From this data, the charity says Bradford is one of the areas with the highest number of children living in poverty and has calculated that up to 6,217 children in the area are without a proper bed to sleep in.

Now Gerri McAndrew, the charity’s CEO, has written to the city’s MPs Naz Shah, Judith Cummins and Imran Hussain as part of its Beds for Kids campaign.

Her letter calls for the MPs to open a discussion and work with the charity to provide grants to vulnerable families in the area to buy beds and tackle the “crisis”.

On a national level, Buttle says that in around a quarter of the 10,000 plus families it helped last year, a child did not have a proper bed of their own to sleep in.

The charity says this can lead to a range of problems for children, ranging from a lack of concentration in school and impeding their learning to affecting behaviour.

Buttle has recently partnered with Dreams for the campaign, which has donated 3,000 beds for the charity to distribute across the UK.

Ms McAndrew said: “I sincerely hope my letter will make these key stakeholders sit up and see the crisis that is unfolding in front of them.

“The UK’s social safety net seems to be fraying. We are seeing increasing evidence amongst those we support that the changes to the welfare system of recent years are increasing the financial pressure they are already under.

“We are particularly concerned that local welfare funds available through local authorities – since the abolition of the Discretionary Social Fund in 2013 – seem to be disappearing or becoming harder to access.”

She added: “While we understand that public funds are stretched, we expect every local authority, whether they have prioritised the local welfare fund or not, to commit to ensuring that no child in their area will sleep without a bed of their own.

“In the 21st century this does not feel like an unreasonable expectation.”

In response, Bradford Council said it recognised there were families in the district who struggled financially and who had been affected by the changes brought about by welfare reform.

The spokesperson said: “With this in mind we have already put measures in place to make sure that if any family finds themselves in a situation where they need to buy household items, such as a child’s bed, but can’t afford to do so, they can apply for a loan from the council as part of our Assisted Purchase Scheme.

“We also administer Discretionary Housing Payments, council tax benefits and local welfare support for those people who find themselves in vulnerable circumstances.”

MPs have slammed Tory policy as “failing families”.

Naz Shah, Bradford West MP, said the figures were “deeply concerning”.

“It is tragic that many of the things most of us take for granted like a bed are denied to so many children up and down the country,” she said.

“What this charity is doing is fantastic but we have to recognise this Tory Government’s policies are pushing more and more children into poverty.

“Tory Government cuts to child welfare have been drastic and it is children that are paying the price. A good night’s sleep is essential for healthy development and I will be supporting Buttle UK’s call and our local council to help those who are suffering.”

Bradford East MP Imran Hussain criticised “cruel cuts” to welfare and the Government’s failure to tackle insecure work and wages that did not rise to meet the cost of living.

He said “needless austerity” forced on the most vulnerable must end.

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Bradford South MP Judith Cummins added: “It is terrible to think of any child in Bradford not having a proper bed to sleep in in this day and age. I look forward to receiving further details about the project from the charity.”

A Government spokesperson said: “The Government’s welfare reforms offer parents tailored support to move into work, ensuring that even more families can receive the benefits that work can bring, and as well this we are spending £90bn a year on welfare to support those who need it most.

“Through our £72m Opportunity Areas programme we are targeting support at some of the poorest areas of the country through, and we are investing £800m through the Social Mobility Action Plan – as well as £2.4bn this year alone through the Pupil Premium – for resources to help disadvantaged children.”