North East campaigners call for an end to child poverty
The region's second highest in the country
Campaigners are calling for the next Government to tackle child poverty in the North East and Teesside as a 'top priority'.
The analysis – carried out by Loughborough University for the End Child Poverty coalition – emphasises just how widespread disadvantage is for babies, children and young people across the North East, estimating that:
- At least one in four children are growing up in poverty in a shocking 89% of the region’s 2024 General Election constituencies. This compares with 66% of all constituencies across the UK.
The rate is much higher in the ten constituencies now estimated to have the highest child poverty levels in the North East:
- Middlesbrough and Thornaby East
- South Shields
- Newcastle Central and West
- Redcar
- Gateshead Central and Whickham
- Hartlepool
- Darlington
- Easington
- Bishop Auckland
- Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland
And today’s report highlights the ‘extremely high’ correlation across the country – including in the North East – between the Westminster seats with the highest rates of child poverty, and those with the highest proportions of children affected by a policy known as the ‘two-child limit’.
The two-child limit, introduced under the Conservative Government in 2017 and restricting Child Tax Credit and Universal Credit to the first two children in most households, is a policy charities and campaigners have repeatedly said should be scrapped.
Last month, Sir Keir said he would scrap the cap "in an ideal world" but added that "we haven't got the resources to do it at the moment".
In the new Middlesbrough and Thornaby East constituency – which the research finds has the highest child poverty rate in the region – almost one in five children (19%) are estimated to be living in a family impacted by the two-child limit. In the Hexham constituency, with the lowest child poverty rate in the North East, just six per cent of children growing up in the area are affected by the policy.
Since its introduction in April 2017, the two-child limit has meant that almost all families having a third or subsequent child are no longer entitled to receive support for those children through Universal Credit. This means younger children missing out on around £66 per week in support that their older siblings receive. 59% of families hit by the two-child limit are in work.
It is calculated that scrapping this policy would be the most effective way to tackle child poverty, as it would lift 300,000 children out of poverty and mean a further 800,000 children living in less deep poverty across the country – at a cost of just £1.8 billion.
It has been previously estimated that – beyond the immeasurable costs of poverty to individual children and families – the ‘wider societal costs’ of child poverty across the country are more than £39 billion per year.
Incoming Chair of the North East Child Poverty Commission, Beth Farhat, said:
"This research really does lay bare the scale of disadvantage for children growing up in the North East, and emphasises why tackling child poverty has to be a top priority for every single candidate standing for election right across our region.
"No one should accept the life chances and opportunities of tens of thousands of children throughout the North East being restricted by poverty – nor the unsustainable pressures that rising levels of hardship have placed on public and voluntary sector organisations across our region – not least when we know that this can change with political will, and the right policies and investment, in place.
"Whoever forms the next Government must therefore make ending child poverty a top – and ongoing – priority too. This means all political parties committing to introduce a clear and evidence-led strategy to tackle child poverty, an immediate focus of which must be to end the two-child limit."
Joseph Howes, CEO of Buttle UK and Chair of the End Child Poverty Coalition, said:
"Child poverty is an urgent issue that demands decisive action.
"The data is undeniable – too many children are in a cycle of deprivation that affects their health, education, and future prospects.
"It is time to dismantle these barriers and the elections will provide a critical platform for committing to systemic changes to uplift families and give every child the opportunity to thrive."
Mark Russell, CEO of The Children’s Society said:
“These figures show the scale of child poverty across the country, which is deeply damaging the lives and futures of a generation of children. The UK is one of the richest countries in the world and it is a scandal that over 4 million children are living in poverty.
“Too many families can’t even afford the essentials, too many parents need food banks to put food on the table, and too many children are having their futures blighted by poverty
“We passionately believe every child deserves the best start in life, and we need decisive action from political leaders to address rising child poverty. The first steps the next government should take is scrapping the two child limit and the benefits cap – these together have had a catastrophic effect, pushing many more families into deep poverty"
Sara Ogilvie, director of policy, rights and advocacy at Child Poverty Action Group said
“Children won’t get a say in this election, yet child poverty is at a record high with kids in every corner of the country cut off from opportunities to thrive.
"Their well-being is the responsibility of every politician and should be a policy priority over the next few weeks and beyond.
"Children need all political leaders to commit to abolishing the two-child limit and to set out a plan for helping families to raise happy, healthy children with bright futures.
"No trajectory for the UK looks good while more than 4 million children are in poverty.”