A shocking new report has revealed that nearly a quarter of a million children in County Durham and Tees Valleys are living in poverty.

This is nearly 40% (200,000) more than the rest of the UK.

The shocking analysis highlights a health divide which is 'shortening lives, reducing life chances and costing billions in lost productivity'.

Between 2015-2021 child poverty throughout County Durham increased by around 12%, with variations between towns.

The report also showed that the number of people with major health conditions such as depression, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, respiratory conditions, heart disease, cancer and dementia, is at least 10% higher in County Durham and Tees Valley. 

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The Rt Revd Paul Butler, Bishop of Durham, said: "People living in County Durham and Tees Valley deserve the same opportunities as those elsewhere in the country.

"But this report clearly shows that this is not the case.

"It makes for shocking reading and exposes the harsh realities of inequality within the region.

"It is imperative it acts as a wake-up call for action for all across our society. 

"I urge all policymakers, local and national, to read and implement the recommendations carefully."

The report highlights four policies which they believe need to be adopted to narrow the divide.

  1.  Giving families with children enough money and security of income to meet their basic needs.
  2. Making sure children have enough healthy food to eat.
  3. Ensuring that there is a joined-up and place-based community approach by national and local government to address poverty, health inequalities and the cost-of-living crisis.
  4. Giving community foundations a role in the proposed Community Wealth Funds.

The report was commissioned by the County Durham Community Foundation and written by academics at Health Equity North.

They describe the situation as 'a bleak picture of the wide-ranging health challenges faced within the area'.

One section of the report focuses on the life expectancy in the area.

It reads: "People live shorter lives in the region. The average life expectancy in England for men is 79.8 years.

"In County Durham it is 78.3 years and 77.7 years in the Tees Valley."

Dr Michelle Cooper MBE, Chief Executive of County Durham Community Foundation, said: "As a Community Foundation, we’ve been working with charities and community groups on the frontline in County Durham and the Tees Valley for nearly 30 years.

"We know all too well the hardships and the entrenched poverty. But the question is, what are we going to do about it?

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"This report sets out a series of recommendations that will give our region and communities a fighting chance to get out of the vicious cycle of poverty and make a brighter tomorrow a reality.

"We’re advocating for a common sense but urgent approach to give more resources and more funds to those local experts on the ground, who know what their communities need and can make it happen.

"There simply is no time to waste if we are to reduce inequalities and create opportunities for a sustainable future."