Hundreds of babies in Kettering and Corby born to single parents

In nearby Corby, the figure is one in six.

Single parent charity Gingerbread said lone parents still face some stigma, but that recent reports debunk the idea that having only one parent can negatively impact children.

Office for National Statistics figures show that 110 babies in Kettering were registered by just one parent while a further 49 had two parents living at different homes.

That’s a total of 159 children being raised by single parents in 2017 – 14% of the births in Kettering.

In Corby, 120 babies were registered by just one parent and 35 had two parents living at different homes. Those numbers represented 16% of the babies born in Corby in 2017.

Across England, 52% of babies were registered by parents who were married or in a same-sex civil partnerships, in line with the average for the UK.

In Kettering, it was 44% and 38% in Corby.

Rosie Ferguson, chief executive of Gingerbread, said single parents’ aspirations for their children may be thwarted by circumstances out of their control.

She said: “The majority of single parents work, but many are still locked out of the secure, flexible employment opportunities they need in order to provide for their children.

“Low-paid and insecure jobs, as well as the lack of affordable childcare, mean that some single parents struggle to put food on the table for their children.

“The Government must work with Jobcentres, employers and childcare providers to ensure that work genuinely provides a route out of poverty.

“We need to strengthen the system of support for single parents to provide a decent standard of living for them and their children.”

In Kettering, 485 babies born to couples who were living together but not married - 42% of the total. The proportion was 46% in Corby.

When counted alongside those who are married or in a civil partnership, it means that 86% of babies in Kettering were born to a family with two parents at home and 84% in Corby.