A NEW report has revealed the Ribble Valley is the second best place in the country to grow up – but just down the road children in other districts and towns in our area are lagging far behind.

Five of the area’s six boroughs have been placed in the bottom half of the Government’s Local Index of Child Wellbeing (CWI) 2009.

Council chiefs have vowed to tackle the issue of childhood deprivation and poverty following the report.

Bottom of the pile is Burnley which is ranked 323 out of 354, closely followed by Blackburn with Darwen at 301 and Pendle at 300. Hyndburn was ranked at 264 and Rossendale at 193.

Ribble Valley bucks the trend and is placed second in the list.

Burnley Council leader Gordon Birtwistle said: "These figures are not a surprise.

"The Government promised to end child poverty by 2020 but they are not getting anywhere near that.

"They have not taken one step forward and I think they have even taken two steps back.

"The council is working its socks off but we cannot do it on our own."

The CWI takes into account several different sectors such as material wellbeing, health, crime, education, housing, and children in need before coming to its judgement.

Coun Chris Thayne, executive member for children’s services at Blackburn with Darwen Council, said he would continue to work closely with other organisations such as the PCT and police to tackle many of the underling root causes.

He added: “It is obviously very much a priority for us to tackle this”

But Ribble Valley Conservative MP Nigel Evans said there were things other boroughs could learn from his constituency.

He said: “We have some varied and excellent schools in the Ribble Valley, low unemployment, good local services and lower council tax than in many other areas.

“Other local authorities should be looking at us to see what could be adopted in other areas.”

An NHS East Lancashire spokesman added: "It is high on our agenda to help reduce health inequalities and to give youngsters a better chance of enjoying a healthier lifestyle.”