More than one in six children in Milton Keynes could be suffering mental health problems, councillors announce

They say 16 per cent of youngsters aged between five and 16 currently have “probable mental health problems” - and lockdown is causing or exacerbating these.

At highest risk are the children of parents who were struggling, financially or otherwise, say councillors.

The Tories are asking that the MK Council budget for the next year includes £400,000 specifically to delivering greater mental health support for children and young people.

They also want more funding for emergency support to tackle the rising trend in domestic abuse incidents after figures show cases of domestic abuse rose by 10per cent last year.

Finally, the councillors want another £200,000 to establish a high street support fund to assist small and independent retailers.

MK Council is currently led by the Labour Party in partnership with the Liberal Democrats. They have the opportunity to vote to accept or reject these amendments when the council meets to discuss the

budget on Wednesday.

"The Conservatives hope the two parties in power will back their amendments, stating that the

current MK Council draft budget does not go far enough to match the demands required to support

families, protect jobs, and boost business," said Cllr Alice Jenkins, the Deputy Leader of the Conservative Council Group.

She said: “As a small business owner and a mother to two children, I understand how challenging these times

are. But we must also recognise that things could get a lot tougher and if this budget isn’t amended, the

Labour-led Council cannot provide the level of support our residents and businesses require.

"The government and taxpayers of MK have given the council money to spend and it is vital that this

is now spent, rather than squirrelled away for a rainy day. The rain is falling right now and it’s time to invest it.

This is why we’re putting forward measures that target greater investment into supporting families,

protecting jobs and boosting local business.”