Over 82,000 children living in poverty in Essex
Figures show child poverty has continued to rise in the majority of constituencies in the East
Over 82,000 children are living in poverty in Essex according to figures released today (19 May).
Research carried out by Loughborough University shows, between 2015 and 2020, Witham recorded the 10th highest rate of increase at 2.4%.
Overall in the East of England, over one in four children (26%) are now in poverty after housing costs.
The same data shows the proportion of those children who are in working households, yet still living in poverty, increased from 67% in 2015 to 75% last year.
Figures from Loughborough University show the number of children living in poverty in north Essex and the percentage change since 2015, are:
- Braintree: 4,394 (+ 2.5%)
- Witham: 3,623 (+ 2.4%)
- Colchester: 5,739 (+ 0.9%)
- Harwich and North Essex: 4,091 (- 1.5%)
Jo Kerr, Director of Impact and Innovation at anti-poverty charity Turn2Us, said:
"Children in low income houses have worse mental and physical health, they do less well in schools, they have fewer opportunities in the future. So for us, it's completely morally unacceptable for any child, let alone millions of children, to have to grow up in financial hardship.
"Parents are finding themselves needing to do things like skip meals in order to get by, and with kids there's always something else coming up.
"Over the long-term, if those children are missing out on the pair of shoes they need, the winter coat, the books to learn, the technology to learn, the ability to take part in sports, then their outcomes in their lives are really going to be adversely affected."
The research by Loughborough University was carried out for the End Child Poverty Coalition, which is calling on the Government to create a credible plan to end the issue, increase child benefits, and maintain the £20 uplift to Universal Credit.