Our Town...

Middlesbrough is the third most deprived local authority in the UK with an average child poverty rate of 37 per cent, this rises to 61 per cent in the worst affected ward, Thorntree. One in five children die as infants in Middlesbrough who would not have died if they live elsewhere. More than 10 per cent of babies have low birth weight which has been linked to the rising trend for children with complex needs. Children’s hospital admissions due to injury are 58 per cent above the national average. The number of Child Protection Plans in place in Middlesbrough is double the national average and the number of ‘looked after children’, or those in care, is 88 per cent higher than the national figure. The average lifespan for a boy is two-and-a-half years less than the national average.

“The current state of the national economy, ongoing cuts in public spending and welfare reforms means this position may yet worsen.” explains the report produced by Middlesbrough Council’s Children and Learning scrutiny panel.

“Go on now and say goodbye to our town, to our town.
Can't you see the sun's settin' down on our town, on our town”
Iris Dement