Cost of living: 'All too often in our region, kids are growing up in poverty' says South Yorkshire mayor

The Labour politician, who has previously collaborated with Baby Basics, said: “People in our community can’t afford to feed their kids and it is a tragedy.”

“One in three kids in South Yorkshire are growing up in poverty. It’s a systemic issue and we need to support those families.

"We are materially worse off in terms of poverty for young people. This means they will have more challenges as they go through the education system. And then we end up with people who aren’t going to necessarily have the educational qualifications to be able to get those opportunities and grow our economy."

He added: “Baby Basics are brilliant. I’ve done various things with them and I’m very happy to support in whatever way I can.”

Speaking about his plan to minimise the effect of the cost of living crisis on the region, Mr Coppard highlighted his pledge to bring buses under public control so fares can be monitored.

Additionally, he highlighted the need for better housing insulation so people are less vulnerable to oil and gas price hikes.

However, Mr Coppard emphasised that these changes would take time.

He said: “None of them are quick and right now people are struggling.

“The things that I can do in the immediate term are not as much as I would like to be able to do, mainly that’s a government thing.

“In the longer term, the things the mayor can do are things like making sure the economy grows so we get those opportunities, so if you haven’t gotten an education post-19 you can still get that route into education.”