A council has been urged to put politics aside and work together to reduce child poverty in County Durham.

The plea came just days after a heated debate among councillors over the scrapping of the two-child benefit cap. 

More than 118,000 children are living in poverty across County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Northumberland, according to recent research from the End Child Poverty Coalition.

Last month, the North East Combined Authority set out an ambition to lead the nation in bringing down “immoral” child poverty rates blighting the lives of thousands of families. Mayor Kim McGuinness and the region’s council leaders formally backed plans to set up a new child poverty reduction unit, which will be the first of its kind in the country.

The unit is expected to deliver measures including a new grant to support parents, particularly women, who struggle to get back into work because of the cost of paying for childcare. 

Praising the new scheme, Labour leader Carl Marshall told a council scrutiny meeting: “It's time for all of us to put politics aside and come together to help shape that work. We know Durham came to the devolution deal late in the day, so weren't involved in some of the priorities, but this is a blank slate. 

“Kim’s work is leading the way nationally, not just regionally, on child poverty. It’s the biggest opportunity for the North East Combined Authority to make a real difference to thousands of children in poverty in the region. 

“The best way for us to influence this is to involve our officers in delivering the policies.”

The child poverty rate in the North East in 2021/22 was 35 per cent compared to a national rate of 29 per cent, with around 7 in 10 children living in poverty being from working families. 

After being elected in May, Ms McGuinness said it was her “number one priority” to bring down “crippling” levels of child poverty.

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A council meeting heard how the current rules affect families in the region, with one member urging the government to end the restrictions. 

“If you care about child poverty there’s no better way to do it than ending the cap,” said Lib Dem councillor Craig Martin, of North Lodge ward. “It is not fair to punish a child and subject them to entrenched poverty, because of the perceived failings of the parents. We should be supporting the needs of children as opposed to publishing the entire family.

However, an alternative Labour plea calling for collaborative working across the region was agreed instead.