DARREN Smith heads off for work at 5.30am some days and gets home at 5pm. When he and his children go to bed only his eldest daughter Charleigh has her own room while four of them are squashed in together on bunk beds.

His baby son Bobby sleeps in the lounge with him and his partner Louise.

But he works six days a week – hard graft as a lorry driver. He should get what he deserves, enough pay to give his children room.

Many will say that there are too many children there, but equally two bedrooms is not enough anyway.

Politicians are quick to point out that they want to help working families. They offer 30 hours’ free childcare but families do not get enough help when only one of them is working.

There was a time when the man of the house had a job for life and could at least expect to afford to buy his family a home. While their children were young their mum would be able to stay at home.

Many families do not want other people to bring their children up for them.

They do not want the free childcare, they want to be able to afford to look after their own children while one of them goes out to work.

Too many parents drop off their children at nursery as the free childcare is there, but they do not need it.

It may be asking too much but for the sake of these children one wage needs to be enough for families to get by on.

These children need room to play, to do their homework and to breathe air that is not damp and unhealthy.