Child Poverty
the
West Cumbria Picture
Willie Slavin
Chair Howgill Family Centre
Chair West Cumbria Child
Poverty Action Group
West Cumbria Child Poverty Action Group
2009 Jamie Reed MP voiced his concerns about Child
Poverty in the House and followed this up with Howgill.
Later that year a conference was held in Whitehaven
which attracted strong support across the community.
2010 A report was published which assessed the
situation, identified key issues and offered a series of
recommendations.
2013 the conference re-convened on 15th February
and an updated report is in preparation – a work in
progress.
One of those recommendations in the original report
was:
“We develop our understanding of the way in
which some families, groups, and communities
can be resistant to the usual debilitating
consequences of poverty; what assets or
attributes make them so resilient; what we can
learn from them.”
This is where the seed for this symposium was planted.
Child Poverty a definition
from Professor Peter Townsend:
Individuals, families and groups in the population can be
said to be in poverty when they lack the resources to
obtain the types of diet, participate in the activities,
and have the living conditions and amenities which
are customary, or are at least widely encouraged and
approved, in the societies in which they belong.
A widely-used measure of poverty is where household
income is below 60 per cent of the median UK income
after housing costs have been paid.
The Key Factors
“The key factors having an effect on child poverty
identified in the report are those relating to “contextual”
and “process” factors which are not within the control of
the providers of Children’s Services; they are to do with:
• the structure of the economy and of the opportunity
structure it engenders
• the nature of the housing, transport and built
environment infrastructure;
• the extent to which Child Poverty is a consideration
in developing economic well-being programmes;
• the extent to which the framers of other policies and
programmes consider their impact on child poverty.”
A significant feature behind child poverty in West
Cumbria is the level of inequality that emerges
from an examination of earnings across Allerdale
and Copeland.
I offer this information simply to highlight an
important factor requiring consideration by policy
makers.
Year
Male (ft and pt)
Allerdale Copeland G Britain
2008
479.9
668.4
488.1
2009
462.3
650.8
494.2
Year
Female (ft and pt)
Allerdale Copeland G Britain
2008
276.7
325.9
300.2
2009
235.4
301.4
311.1
Year
All full time only
Allerdale
Copeland
G Britain
2008
468.4
595.3
480.0
2009
461.4
625.3
491.0
Men in Copeland on average earn more than
the national average wage while women earn
less.
The Changing Situation
The Government’s objectives in Welfare Reform
• creating the right incentives to get more people
into work
• protecting the most vulnerable in our society
• delivering fairness to those claiming benefit and
to the taxpayer
Context
• Currently 42,650 working age people in Cumbria
claiming benefit
• Employment Support Allowance and Incapacity Benefit
re-assessment – 40% in 6 month period ‘fit to work’
• By 2014,7700 additional people joining the labour
market
• April to Sept 2011 - 950 CC grants awarded (£431,200)
and £199,300 of crisis loans
• More than 30,000 households have income less than
£10k - increased by 10,000 since 2009
Key issues for Young People & Families
• Households with children likely to experience multiple
changes – may need to re-adjust household budgets/
may be challenges for households already
experiencing debt
• Eligibility for services may change – Free School
Meals or school transport
• Young people transferring from children’s services to
adult services may be vulnerable as may not be
suitable housing to meet their needs
• More working age adults with children being
encouraged to seek work
• Potential increase in demand for childcare and
support services for families
Local issues for Young People & Families
• Youth unemployment already above national levels in
Allerdale and Copeland – increased competition as
more people looking for work
• Whitehaven has high levels of NEET
• In Cumbria 46,000 families are in receipt of child or
working tax credits – Allerdale has high numbers of
claimants
• Existing levels of deprivation, financial exclusion, child
poverty and fuel poverty in the area
• Changes to services/ pressure on existing services
Allerdale
• 6000 households with income less than £10,000
• 9700 households in fuel poverty
• 2000 claiming JSA
• Youth unemployment
• 9200 claiming tax credits
• Out of work benefit claimants above county and national
• average
• 3444 children living in poverty
Copeland
• 4300 households with income less than £10,000
• 6700 households in fuel poverty
• 1635 claiming JSA
• Youth unemployment
• 5700 claiming tax credits
• Out of work benefit claimants above county and
national average
• 2515 children living in poverty
Allerdale
% Children
in Poverty
Copeland
% Children
in Poverty
Ellenborough
20%
Arlecdon
5%
Ewanrigg
34%
Beckermet
14%
Flimby
28%
Bransty
7%
Harrington
Below 5%
Cleator Moor N
21%
Holme
21%
Cleator Moor S
28%
Keswick
9%
Distington
24%
Moorclose
32%
Egremont N
24%
Moss Bay
37%
Egremont S
14%
Netherhall
15%
Frizington
22%
St Michael’s
22%
Hillcrest
Below 5%
Silloth
20%
Mirehouse
34%
Solway
11%
St Bees
Below 5%
Wigton
16%
Sandwith
41%
For those who are tempted to ascribe to the
‘skiver’ and ‘shirker’ view of the impoverished, I
recommend:
“The lies we tell ourselves: ending comfortable
myths about poverty – Truth and lies about
poverty”
A report published by the Baptist, Methodist,
United Reformed Churches and the Church of
Scotland. Feb 2013.
“We cannot fully respond to the challenge of
eradicating exclusion and poverty if the poor
are an object, the target of paternalistic and
charitable action by the state and other
organisations, and not subjects, for whom
the state and society create conditions that
promote and protect their rights and allow
them to build their own future.”
JMB