There must be a sense of destiny given that the counties of Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire are joined in the new Senedd constituency of Ceredigion Preseli. Who ever the six new Senedd Members may be, they must take urgent note of recent research that finds the area has one of the highest rates of child poverty in Wales.

New data from the UK government shows that 32 per cent of all children are living in poverty across Wales, with Wales having the highest child poverty rate of all four nations in the UK.

More than one in five children are living in poverty in every local authority in the country except for one.

Among the top 10 in Wales are Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire, both recording a child poverty rate of 28 per cent.

The data shows that number of children in Wales living in poverty after the cost of housing.

As the data is produced retrospectively, the impact of measures such as scrapping the two-child limit will likely lead to a reduction in child poverty across the UK, are not reflected in the figures.

Regardless, the figures are damning.

No one should be able to take any conform from these - and should serve as a rallying call for action.

Our local authorities now have the ability to raise extra funding by applying the tourism tax, and using revenues from this new revenue stream should be activate to help our struggling county councils put emergency measures in place to combat this modern-day scourge.

As a matter of urgency, the new Welsh Government needs a Child Poverty Strategy that will include, among other measures, the introduction of a Welsh Child Payment, universal funded part-time childcare and the extension of free school meals to more pupils in secondary schools.

More than a quarter of century of Labour rule in Wales, and 14 years of Conservative austerity at the second week in May. had combined to create these truly shocking child poverty rates. It's clear tackling this needs to a priority come the second week of May.

Shame on our respective governments and political leadership for letting thing deteriorate so badly.