Stockton child poverty overshadowed by 'shithole' comment

The question posed was simple enough: ‘Why are 34 per cent of children in Stockton North living in poverty?’

Despite what Mr Cleverly, who denies insulting the area, may or may not have said, there was an outcry and swift condemnation from community leaders.

But, official figures and charities that support financially disadvantaged people suggest there is an issue in the area, and the wider region, that needs to be addressed.

A Thrive Teesside spokesperson said the cost-of-living crisis had exacerbated child poverty in the area blaming this alongside policy failures and an annual funding decrease.

They said: “For years, child poverty has remained a persistent issue in Stockton-on-Tees.

“The current cost of living crisis has only made matters worse, as it is the culmination of failed policies and a yearly reduction in funding.

“The consequences of poverty on a child's well-being are significant and long-lasting, affecting their future opportunities and quality of life.

“To ensure that the government fulfils its promise of levelling up and listening to left behind communities, it is vital that they involve individuals who have directly experienced these issues in decision-making processes.”

It was not just the question of child poverty that was overshadowed by ‘unparliamentary language’ at PMQs last week, so too was the response from Rishi Sunak.

The Prime Minister responded to Mr Cunningham by saying the Government has ensured 1.7 million fewer people, including hundreds of thousands of children, across the country are living in poverty,

Mr Sunak said: “We do not want any child to grow up in poverty and the best way to make sure that happens is to ensure that they do not grow up in a workless household.

“And that is why the right strategy is to ensure that we provide as many children with the opportunity to grow up with parents in work.”

Figures published by the DWP show that an estimated 7,176 (33.9 per cent) of children in Stockton North were living in poverty in 2021/22 – of which 66 per cent were living in working families.

Meanwhile, in the Stockton South constituency, it is estimated that 6,473 (27.3 per cent) children were living in poverty in 2021/22 – of which 70 per cent were living in working families.

A spokesperson for the Department of Work and Pensions has said the Government was providing a £104 billion support package over 2022-2025– worth an average £3,700 per household, was raising benefits in line with inflation and helping people with essentials through the Household Support Fund.

The DWP also said it was investing £3.5 billion to help thousands into jobs and removing barriers to work for parents with the biggest ever expansion of free childcare.

A report conducted by the End Child Poverty Coalition published in June found that almost 190,000 (35 per cent) of babies, children and young people in the region were living below the poverty line – an increase of around 51,000 (26 per cent) since 2014/15.

The report also found, in the same period, that six out of the 20 constituencies that saw the largest increase in child poverty were located in the North East – with these being Middlesbrough (16.7 per cent), Gateshead (12.4 per cent), Redcar (12.2 per cent), Sedgefield (12.2 per cent), Darlington (11.4 per cent), and Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland (11.3 per cent).

Amanda Bailey, director at NECPC, said the region had seen the “steepest increase in child poverty compared to any other country in this period.

She said: “Alongside all parts of Teesside, Stockton has sadly experienced a significant rise in the number of babies, children and young people growing up in poverty over most of the last ten years.

“Indeed, the wider North East has seen the steepest increases in child poverty of any part of the country over that period, with almost 190,000 children across our region now living below the poverty line. Shockingly, two thirds of those children are living in working families.

“Growing numbers of parents and carers across Stockton – and all parts of the North East – are struggling to keep their heads above water, and facing impossible decisions every day on how they will provide even the most basic essentials for their kids.

“Of course, Stockton and other towns, cities and villages across the rest of our region can be some of the most fantastic places to grow up and raise a family.

“But it cannot be right that, in one of the largest economies in the world, thousands of children across Stockton and the wider North East are having their life chances limited and opportunities restricted as a result of poverty.”

She called on the government to create a ‘national child poverty strategy’ to confront the scale of the challenge faced by the North East, and to address ‘endemic low pay, insecure work, higher rates of illness and disability, and a ‘threadbare social security safety net.

Mr Cunningham said everyone, including the current government, should ‘be ashamed of these statistics’.

He said: “One child living in poverty is too many but sadly in Stockton North almost 34 per cent of children in the constituency are living below the breadline.

“Poverty holds children back, and puts significant barriers in the way of their life chances, educational outcomes and opportunities to thrive.

“Children in Stockton North and beyond are being held back by the political decisions of successive Conservative Governments.”

“We need to see a real strategy to tackle child poverty at all levels, whether in reforming the social security system, expanding free school meal provision, or ensuring every child has access to opportunities available to their better-off peers.”