South Tyneside fourth worst for child poverty in North East, with quarter of children below the breadline

The End Child Poverty Coalition with Loughborough University has published an analysis of data from the Government that tracks child poverty across Britain before housing costs are taken into account.

Even before the impact of Covid-19 on household incomes, almost a quarter of children (24%) in the North East were living in poverty – and the region has seen a dramatic increase in the proportion of children below the breadline.

Between 2014/15 and 2018/19, the North East of England saw child poverty numbers rise by 6.5%, with all councils in the region seeing increases.

As of 2018/19, 26% of children were living in poverty in South Tyneside – a rise of 7.5% since 2014/15.

Lead Member for Children, Young People and Families, Coun Moira Smith, said the council is continuing to support families in the borough.

“Any child living in poverty is one too many,” she said.

“We recognise that the current pandemic is making life more challenging for everyone but that those already disadvantaged are likely to be hit hardest.

“We are committed to giving every child the best start in life and we continue to make strenuous efforts to help families.

“Our Children’s Services have been redesigned to make it easier for families to access the right support when they need it.

“We work in partnership with our schools to ensure that those children who need it continue to be provided with a free school meal.

“Our Local Welfare Provision Scheme supports those most in need at all times, and our Covid-19 specific Hardship Fund is open to anyone suffering financial hardship due to coronavirus.”

The child poverty figures are based on government estimates using family income data.

In 2018/19, the worst hit area in the region was Middlesbrough where more than a third (37%) of children were living in poverty, before housing costs are taken into account, closely followed by Newcastle (28%), Hartlepool (27%), South Tyneside (26%), and Gateshead (21%).

The End Child Poverty coalition is now calling on the Government to commit to a comprehensive strategy to end child poverty as it plans the nation’s recovery from coronavirus, which campaigners fear could draw more families below the poverty line.

Groups have also called for the Government to increase household income for struggling families.

Imran Hussain, director of policy and campaigns at Action for Children, said: “We may all be experiencing the storm of Coronavirus together, but we are not all in the same boat.

“Children in the North East are some of the most exposed to the devastating economic consequences of this crisis and are at severe risk of being swept deeper into poverty.

“Families who were already struggling to keep their heads above water are now living in fear that they can’t afford to keep their children and babies warm and well fed.”

Jane Streather, chair of the North East Child Poverty Commission, added: “It’s deeply concerning that the North East has seen the biggest increase in child poverty rates over the last few years, and these figures demonstrate just how many families in our region were already struggling to make ends meet, even before the coronavirus crisis hit.”

Recent analysis from the Office for National Statistics, carried out between April 17-27 2020, shows just under 1 in 4 adults (23%) said the coronavirus was affecting their household finances.

The most common impact in this group was reduced income and nearly half said they had needed to use savings or borrow to cover living costs.

Local child poverty before housing costs 2018/19. Percentage of children in households below 60% median in North East authority areas.

(Percentage increase between 2014/15 and 2018/19)

Darlington – 21.9% (5.3% increase)

County Durham – 22.3% (5.8% increase)

Gateshead – 21.4% (6.2% increase)

Hartlepool – 26.7% (7% increase)

Middlesbrough – 36.8% (13.3% increase)

Newcastle-upon-Tyne – 28.1% (8.5% increase)

Northumberland – 20% (5% increase)

North Tyneside – 18.7% (4.7% increase)

Redcar and Cleveland -23.3% (6.1% increase)

South Tyneside – 26.2% (7.5% increase)

Stockton – 20.9% (5% increase)

Sunderland – 24.3% (5.6% increase)

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