Figures show children face poverty and hunger in city

Children are facing hunger, a lack of education and poor health in the city, according to statistics published this week.

The End Child Poverty campaign, supported by organisations such as the Children’s Society and the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG), released a report to show how widespread the problem is across the South East and the UK.

The statistics, using figures from October to December last year, are set out by local authority and ward area, as well as by constituency.

In the Brighton Kemptown constituency 31% of children were rated as living in poverty, the figures showed.

The area had one of the highest rates in the South East, closely followed by the Hastings and Rye constituency, where 30% of children were described as living in poverty.

In figures broken down by local authority and ward measuring income after housing costs are paid, nearly 41% of children in Moulsecoomb and Bevendean are classed as living in poverty.

The figures are 39% for East Brighton, nearly 27% in Central Hove, but as little as 12% in Preston Park.

Nancy Platts, Labour parliamentary candidate for Brighton Kemptown, said she was shocked by the statistics.

She said: “When over half of children, 58% who live in poverty in the UK have at least one parent in paid work, it is clear it is time to end the scourge of low pay, zero hour contracts and insecure jobs.

“Many parents have lost jobs in the recession or been forced into part-time work or zero hours contracts because full-time jobs paying a wage you can live on are simply not available.

“Children living in poverty should not be paying the price for the deficit and the Government needs to commit to investment in jobs, economic regeneration and making work pay.”

Councillor Sue Shanks, chairman of Brighton and Hove City Council’s children and young people committee, was unable to comment in detail on the figures.

She said there was a child poverty strategy in place but government cuts to funding on top of benefit cutbacks are the reasons for the high numbers of children in this position.

Coun Shanks, whose ward is Withdean, said: “A lot of work is done with poor families by the council and our budgets focus on these areas such as Moulsecoomb. Better educational outcomes are being achieved which help children but ultimately our society is deeply unequal and we need to tax higher earners more.

“Currently the poor are paying in reduced benefits and wages for an economic collapse they didn’t cause.”

Living in poverty According to the charity Barnardo’s, living in poverty means someone’s resources are so below average that they are “excluded from ordinary living patterns, customs and activities.”

A Children’s Society spokeswoman said: “Children are said to be living in poverty if they are in households living on less than 60% of the average income.

“This can be measured either before or after housing costs have been deducted from household incomes.

“The ‘after housing costs measure’ gives the best impression of the disposable income that families have available afterpaying for their home.”

In April 2013 the Office for National Statistics said the median gross annual earnings for full-time employees, who had been in the same job for at least 12 months, was £27,000. Households earning 60% of this figure were bringing in £16,200 a year.

The spokeswoman added: “We see from the families we work with just what poverty means. Many children have told us they are living in homes that are cold, cramped and mould-ridden.

“Parents up and down the country cannot afford to give their children a decent healthy meal.

“Families are forced to choose between repairing the boiler or to buy their child a warm coat for winter. Poverty is a harshreality for millions of children up and down the country.”

End Child Poverty campaign chairman David Holmes said: “These figures reveal just how widely and deeply child poverty reaches into our communities, even those areas generally regarded as well off.

“Far too many children whose parents are struggling to make a living are suffering as a result and missing out on the essentials of a decent childhood that all young people should be entitled to. We can and must do better for our children.

“Poverty ruins childhoods and reduces life chances. Failing to invest properly in children is a false economy.

“Already child poverty costs the UK £29 billion each year and in the long run taxpayers will foot an even higher bill for correcting the damage.

“We are calling on politicians of all parties to urgently set out a clear roadmap towards ending child poverty which includes the additional actions needed and the measures by which progress will be tracked.”

Doctor Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), said: “It doesn’t matter how many times the Government tinkers with measures of child poverty, the fact remains that it has pushed more children into poverty, introduced a generation to food banks and taken some children back into the Dickensian era.

“We know children cannot fulfil their potential and do their best at school when their parents or carers cannot afford to give them breakfast, when they are living in crowded accommodation, and when they miss school because they cannot afford the uniform. The Government puts Ebenezer Scrooge to shame.”

The percentage of children in poverty from October to December 2013, by local authority and ward.
First column of figures are before housing costs second column of figures are after housing costs.

Brighton and Hove                      16.01%    25.29%
Brunswick and Adelaide               18.45%    28.34%
Central Hove                              17.30%    26.79%
East Brighton                             25.20%     38.97%
Goldsmid                                   14.93%     23.38%
Hangleton and Knoll                   16.66%     26.38%
Hanover and Elm Grove             19.17%     29.81%
Hollingdean and Stanmer            17.61%    28.10%
Moulsecoomb and Bevendean    26.37%     40.62%
North Portslade                         16.62%     26.24%
Patcham                                   12.67%     20.14%
Preston Park                               7.29%    11.90%
Queen's Park                            18.72%     29.18%
Regency                                    14.53%    22.88%
Rottingdean Coastal                   11.93%    19%
St. Peter's and North Laine         19.29%    29.82%
South Portslade                         17.53%    27.53%
Hove Park                                   8.15%    13.15%
Westbourne                               12.56%    19.93%
Wish                                          11.86%    18.86%
Withdean                                    8.98%    14.40%
Woodingdean                             17.84%    28%

IN Eastbourne Borough Council’s area 28% of children are affected with nearly 45% of children in central St Leonards classed as living in poverty.
Horsham District Council’s area has a lower rate of 14%, with Pulborough and Coldwatham at nearly 20%. In the Lewes District Council area, Peacehaven East has 32% of children living in poverty.
View all the figures in full at theargus.co.uk

Support for families

Brighton and Hove City Council operates the Support through the Stronger Families programme, which aims to help hundreds of families in the city. It includes:
Food banks in the Moulsecoomb, Roundabout and Tarner children’s centres
Case work to help families in financial crisis
Free part-time early education places for two year olds from low income families including those on out of work benefits who receive working tax credits and earn no more than £16,190 a year.
A spokesman for the council said a figure for the amount of money in the budget assigned to help tackle child poverty was not easily available.
He said: “Child poverty is an overarching theme that cuts across lots of different service areas rather than being one specific council budget.”

Help is at hand

When things get tough there are organisations with help at hand.
Charities such as Barnardo’s and the Children’s Society can help with advice and support. And there are a number of food banks which people can turn to for support.
The Brighton and Hove Unemployed Workers Centre also helps to organise activities for disadvantaged families.
For more information visit bhuwc.org, barnardos.org or faresharebrightonandhove.org.uk