Child Poverty in the UK

 Almost two-fifths of children in north-east live in poverty with worse to come.

End Child Poverty, a coalition of poverty charities that published the analysis warns that UK child poverty rates were “on the edge of a precipice”.

The north-east of England has the highest rate of child poverty of anywhere in the UK, overtaking London as the nation’s hotspot for hardship and deprivation. Child poverty rates also rose in Wales, up to 34% in 2020-21 compared with 31% the year before the pandemic. 

Although the latest UK-wide figures show child poverty rates overall fell slightly in the first year of the pandemic due to the temporary £20 weekly uplift to universal credit, detailed breakdown shows child poverty continued to rise in areas like Sunderland, Newcastle and Middlesbrough.

“Rather than being levelled up, it’s clear that inequalities for children and young people across the north-east are widening even further – and this must surely act as a serious wake-up call for both the current and incoming government about the scale and urgency of the child poverty crisis we face,” said Anna Turley, chair of the North East Poverty Commission.

North-east England overtakes London as UK’s child poverty hotspot | Poverty | The Guardian