ALMOST a fifth of all teen pregnancies in Barnsley over the latest 12-month period included girls under the age of 16, new figures have revealed.

The most recent figures from the Office for National Statistics show 82 pregnancies for women under 18 were recorded in Barnsley in 2022.

It was down from 91 the previous year, but an increase from 77 in 2020.

And it means there were 20 teenage pregnancies per 1,000 women under 18 in the area - which was above the 14 per 1,000 average across England and Wales.

Of those 82 teen pregnancies, 15 were for girls under the age of 16 in the town.

It means those pregnancies accounted for 18.3 per cent of all instances in Barnsley over the 12-month period.

This was well above the average of 17 per cent for both England and Wales.

However Barnsley did buck the trend in the number of pregnancies, with the town’s rate falling compared to a huge eight per cent increase across the two countries.

Some 14,233 pregnancies for women under 18 were recorded in England and Wales in the recent year - up from 13,131 in 2021 and a 13 per cent increase from 12,576 in 2020.

While it follows an upward trend in the overall number of pregnancies across the two countries since 2020, teen pregnancies have increased more sharply.

Around 834,260 pregnancies were recorded for women of all ages in 2022, which was only up one per cent from 824,983 the previous year, and two per cent from 817,515 in 2020.

Though the number of teenage pregnancies remains below levels seen pre-pandemic, the Local Government Association warned the rising trend ‘signals a risk of complacency’ and called for ‘renewed national action on prevention’.

Dr Wendy Taylor, chair of the LGA’s health and wellbeing committee, said: “We must now build on the achievements of the past 25 years by tackling persistent inequalities, digital exclusion, school absence and pandemic legacies.

“Teenage pregnancy is not just a public health issue, it’s about safeguarding, education, and social justice.

“Supporting young parents is equally vital to improving outcomes and breaking cycles of disadvantage.

“We urge the government to act now, restore national leadership for local delivery and invest in prevention and early help to stop any further rise in teenage pregnancies.”

Karen Middleton, head of campaigns and policy at the Maternal Mental Health Alliance, said more focus should be paid to supporting the mental health of young mothers.

She said: “We know that young mums are at greater risk of experiencing perinatal mental illness, yet they often face stigma and additional barriers to accessing the right support.

“With recent figures showing a rise in teenage conceptions, it is vital that we ensure young parents receive timely, compassionate mental health care during and after pregnancy.”