Child poverty continues to hit Teesside harder than most of the country
New data from the DWP shows Teesside is being hit hard.
The figures, broken down to neighbourhood level across Teesside’s 70 electoral wards, show not only a high level of child poverty across many of the region’s areas, but the sheer inequality between wards that are just a couple of miles apart from each other. There is a 79 percentage point difference between the hardest hit ward and the one that is least affected by child poverty, with figures ranging from 85% to just 6%.
The data comes from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) as it was reported that in the year ending March 2024, 4.5m children were found to be living in relative poverty, an increase of 121,000 on the year before. The statistics reflect the last full year under the Conservative government, with the Labour government elected in July last year. The new government has been accused of not doing enough to fix the stark poverty problems faced in areas including Teesside.
Local councils have given their verdict on the matter and explained what they are doing to try and fix what seems to be a never-ending problem in Teesside. The Government, meanwhile, highlighted their ministerial taskforce when approached for comment.
The level of children who live in poverty across the whole of the country sits at 22%. There are seven wards across Teesside’s three council areas where the level of child poverty is more than double this figure. In the Middlesbrough wards of Newport, Central, North Ormesby, Berwick Hills and Pallister, as well as Brambles and Thorntree, the levels of poverty range from 85% to 46%.
Meanwhile, Grangetown is the fifth most affected ward in Teesside, with 856 kids living in poverty, equating to 48% of its child population. Like Redcar and Cleveland, Stockton also has one ward where the rate of child poverty is more than double the national level and that is 46% in Newtown.
As has been previously reported, out of the thousands of council wards in the country, Newport ward, near Middlesbrough town centre, is the worst affected, with six out of seven children living below the breadline. Newport’s three Labour councillors reacted to the saddening statistics, saying that they were “appalled” to have such a “horrendous title”. Meanwhile, local Labour MP Andy McDonald said that the situation was an “absolute scandal”.
Meanwhile, Middlesbrough’s Central ward sees more than two thirds of kids below the poverty threshold, which is in stark contrast to Nunthorpe ward, where the child poverty rate sits at 7%. The Teesside ward least affected by kids below the breadline is in Stockton, specifically the Northern Parishes ward, where the level sits at 6%. The ward best off in Redcar and Cleveland is Wheatlands, where 10% of kids live in poverty.
It has been reported that the actual number of children living in poverty in local areas is likely to be even higher, as the method of calculating the figures is different than at the national level. The national figures look at relative poverty in children aged 0-19 after housing costs, while local figures look at children aged 0-15, and don’t take housing into account.
All three concerned councils were contacted for comment. Redcar and Cleveland Council approved a “new, innovative” poverty strategy by council leaders at Cabinet on April 29. It focuses on five areas: more support for children and families, practical help for people most affected by poverty, better access to work, housing and benefits. Additionally, it is designed to be developed in the coming years and is a key priority of the authority.
On the development, council leader Labour Councillor Alec Brown, said: “It will continue to be a fundamental mission of this council to alleviate the scourge of poverty. We don’t pretend we have the answers to problems which are often very deep seated – but we do promise to do what we can. This includes working closely with partners, businesses and residents to maximise all available resources as much as possible. The strategy is designed to be easily adapted and developed so it will be increasingly effective in the coming years.”
Meanwhile, Councillor Clare Besford, cabinet member for children & young people at Stockton-on-Tees Council, said that the levels of poverty in certain Stockton wards was “deeply concerning” but said the council is “actively addressing these challenges through the Fairer Stockton-on-Tees Framework”.
She added: “By taking a place-based approach, our Labour-led council is focusing support where it’s needed most – investing in early years services, strengthening community provision, and delivering tailored support to local families.” Cllr Besford said the approach aligned with the Government’s efforts.
Cllr Besford also highlighted the council’s auto-enrolment scheme for free school meals. She said: “By identifying eligible families not claiming support and enrolling them with consent, 324 additional pupils are now receiving free school meals—securing over £421,000 in additional Pupil Premium funding for local schools. Families also gain access to wider support, including the Holidays Are Fun programme, which provides free activities and meals during school holidays.”
She said the locally driven approach would ensure “no child is held back because of where they live. Our priority is clear—every child in Stockton-on-Tees deserves the best possible start in life.”
Chris Cooke, Middlesbrough’s elected mayor, said “These dire statistics reflect a record of neglect left by the previous Tory government, who made sure resources couldn’t reach areas like Newport, where people are in desperate need of support. In partnership with our new Labour government, we are working at both the local and national level to tackle child poverty, and overcome the challenges we were left with.
“We continue to work productively as a council with partners across the town to create a better future for the children of Middlesbrough. As part of this, we have announced measures including a brand new taskforce aimed at ensuring that children get a fair start in life, regardless of their background.” The Council Plan also aims to tackle poverty and health inequalities.
During the General Election campaign last year, while on a visit to Redcar, then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak discussed child poverty and defended the Conservative Party ’s record on the issue. He said: “Of course there’s more to do and the best way to ensure that children don’t grow up in poverty is to make sure their mums and dads have great jobs. It’s what the evidence shows. Things like the Freeport that has been delivered in the region are so important because they provide more high quality well paid jobs.”
A Government spokesperson said: “No child should be in poverty – that’s why our ministerial taskforce is developing an ambitious strategy to give every child the best start in life as part of our Plan for Change.
“Alongside delivering on our Get Britain Working reforms to support people into good jobs and make everyone better off, we have increased the Living Wage, uprated benefits and are supporting 700,000 of the poorest families by introducing a Fair Repayment Rate on Universal Credit deductions to help low-income households.”