Child Poverty in the North East and Easington
Posted by Grahame Morris, MP for Easington, at 10:16, Wed 21 December 2011:
Figures from the North East Child Poverty Commission show that the Coalition Government is struggling to meet the 2020 Child Poverty eradication target, especially in areas of high deprivation such as the North East and in particular, Easington.
Nationally 2.8 million children are living in poverty, around 21 percent of all children in the UK. In the North East the figures show that 132,000 children are in poverty, nearly one in four of all children in our region. While places such as Hexham (9%) and Berwick (14%) are below the regional and national average, inner city and de-industrialised parts of the North East struggle to reduce child poverty and it is accepted that without significant Government intervention the 2020 child poverty target will be missed.
Easington constituency headline child poverty rate is 28 per cent, however, there are great variations within the constituency with the Eden Hill ward (49%) and Deneside (38%) suffering high levels of deprivation compared to Hutton Henry (9%) and Seaham North (12%) which have considerably lower levels of child poverty.
I would welcome your comments. You can read the full article on my website - grahamemorris.com
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Posted by Michael Hughes, 11:11, Wed 21 December 2011: (Is this post abusive?) #
Grahame you state
Easington constituency headline child poverty rate is 28 per cent, however, there are great variations within the constituency with the Eden Hill ward (49%) and Deneside (38%) suffering high levels of deprivation compared to Hutton Henry (9%) and Seaham North (12%) which have considerably lower levels of child poverty[1]. - These are truely concerning figures and i would like to understand the difference from ward to ward as for the large variation.
You also say
There is an ‘attainment gap’ between pupils who receive Free School Meals and those pupils that don’t receive FSM. 15% of boys receiving FSM did not get 5 GCSEs in 2010, whereas only 5% of boys that didn’t get FSM failed to get 5 GCSEs.[6]
Why is this - what is the parents educational background to support there children.Is it really to do with FSM ???
and
Children who live in poverty are twice as likely to live in bad housing and this means that they are a third more likely to suffer respiratory problems such as chest problems, breathing difficulties, asthma and bronchitis than other children
With such worrying data coming out of the Easington constituency i really would be interested if there is an increase in the work of social services and the related bodies supporting these areas and a particular increase in support for the wards with the poorer figures compared to the others. I also feel that the need for a Living wage is paramount to helping to overturn these figures, but also education for parents in finance and parenting and prioritising there needs.
Posted by Jan Burden, 12:05, Wed 21 December 2011: (Is this post abusive?) #
Parents unable to work due to caring duties often find themselves disadvanaged. Parent carers have additional expenses such as speical diets, taxi fares and additional laundry. We often visit houses that are inadequately heated which in turn exacerbates the child's condition. Fuel poverty is VERY worrying. Easington District Carers
Posted by Michael Leonard, 12:42, Wed 21 December 2011: (Is this post abusive?) #
the reason for the difference between north Seaham and deneside is simple to find, most of the housing stock in north Seaham is not east Durham homes stock, but housing bought by the owners who, probably do not work in the area but commute to Sunderland and Newcastle. most of the east Durham homes stock is in recite of housing benefits, and are on at least one state benefits. And are not even getting the mimum wage levels of disposable income!
Posted by R W Raine, 14:18, Wed 21 December 2011: (Is this post abusive?) #
Statistics can be interpreted in many different ways: From your figures, we can eradicate child poverty by reducing the maximum wage in the country to 1 million pounds. Apply this measure to all the city workers on huge bonuses, Bankers, Company CEO's and Presidents, footballers, TV presenters and the likes. This would reduce the divide and therefore decrease the figure used to show poverty. The statistics would then show that we are all above the povery line, BUT THAT DOES NOT ADDRESS THE PROBLEM. The problems we face are the huge prices paid for energy and fuel, the 20% VAT rate, the ridiculous prices paid for housing and rip off companies exploiting the less well off by charging huge interest rates on loans used for necessities. Couple this with a minimum wage that is far below the so called poverty line, the destruction of our manufacturing base by privatisation, closure and/or relocation of industries to other countries, lack of investment by Companies in the UK etc. This is the perfect recipe for absolute disaster. To cap it all, we are governed, and hsve been governed by weak willed politicians who cannot make fair and honourable decisions to eradicate the pig trough mentality and culture of the rich to benefit the poor. The governments may like to think they are efficient but they are not effective. Bill Raine. 21/12/2011
Posted by Gary Powell, 14:22, Wed 21 December 2011: (Is this post abusive?) #
What are you doing about it, i can tell you sweet fa even when you were in power. We only ever hear from you when the election is due then you disappear back down to London again for another 5 years.
Posted by eileen patricia laing, 21:58, Wed 21 December 2011: (Is this post abusive?) #
They only call at election time I have yet to hear from any of them or see them they are a waste of space
Posted by RAY TIMLIN, 03:16, Fri 30 December 2011: (Is this post abusive?) #
Once again a report has offered a bewildering set of statistics, which highlight the decline in support to children, within a social group who have little chance of moving out of there home life, without the help of long term psychological therapeutic intervention, by a new system of social service's. New social housing is a must, by deverting oversea's aid, plus the cost gained by stopping of war's oversea's this could start monday morning; and a giant leap of faith by any govenment in power, to bring long term job's back the this country is needed. All future Govenment contract's should be placed with british company's! In parts of this country we have children who have never seen a member of the houshold hold down a long term job; we as a nation have to wake up to the fact, that we are not a world super power, and are not the policemen of the worlds conflicts. {The atlas is no longer pink} The battle ground for a new age is outside our own front door's, we should look forward and inward, and admit we have a social service system which is not fit for purpose, we can and should find country's who have systems giving better results, then change!!! This Banding of figures and showing flow charts at the new govenment, will not help the children, or indeed the people of this area gain work help or social investment. Postive action by all party's is needed now. This report I fear will drop on deaf ears and but lost in a govenment commitee, after months of verbal mutterings.
Posted by Gary Powell, 08:03, Sat 31 December 2011: (Is this post abusive?) #
See the invisible man still hasn't posted anything, no doubt he will pop up at election time. Them disappear for another 5 years.
Posted by Grahame Morris, 15:51, Wed 4 January 2012: (Is this post abusive?) #
Thank you for all the comments about the Child Poverty Blog. There is more information on my website regarding affordable credit, warms homes and energy efficiency campaigns. I also support the campaign to refer the Big Six Energy Companies to the Competition Commission to break up the stranglehold that continues to drive up consumer energy prices.
The Labour Party has set out a five point plan for jobs and growth that would support families with children. A reverse in last year’s VAT rise would giving a couple with children an extra £450 a year, in contrast to the Coalition’s policies which are costing families with children up to £1,250 a year. Research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies forecast that 500,000 families with children under five will fall into absolute poverty by 2015-16. More information on this news story can be found at http://bit.ly/AjcvtL
Thanks to all those who have emailed comments and questions to me regarding the blog and I will write to you directly.
Posted by Gary Powell, 20:48, Thu 5 January 2012: (Is this post abusive?) #
And where is the money coming from to pay for this.
Posted by RAY TIMLIN, 04:46, Sun 8 January 2012: (Is this post abusive?) #
I would ask that the 2011 defence buget funds of 45.6 Billion pounds be looked at, part of which shows payments of foreign Aid 6.5 Billion, plus foreign military Aid 3.5 Billion??? We also spend 4.7 Billion pounds on prisons, yet the costs for the running of Law courts come to a wopping 6.5 Billion pounds !!! How can we give away 10 billion pounds in 2011 alone of military Aid, yet still have a lack of funding for social service aid to children at home?? Again I say "we are not a super power", so funding raised by tax by govenment, should stay in this country, for the welfare of its people. The Swiss, Japan and others have done this for years, why don't we try it.