City named among worst areas of UK for child poverty

This article is published in today's Nottingham Post:

City named among worst areas of UK for child poverty

More than one in three children in Nottingham are growing up in poverty.

The Campaign to End Child Poverty group today names Nottingham as one of the ten most poverty-stricken council areas in the country.

Its figures show 35 per cent of children are living in poverty, compared with the national average of 20 per cent.

Mark Bowyer, of Broxtowe Partnership Trust, which works to provide opportunities for people in the Broxtowe estate area, blames a lack of jobs for the figures.

He said: "We need to have appropriate jobs for the people in our city, who definitely want to work.

"In Nottingham, for most people, this means entry-level jobs with the chance of moving upwards."

Figures released yesterday showed 31.5 per cent of households in Nottingham had no one in a job.

The figures led Nottingham City Council leader Councillor Jon Collins to call on the Government to avoid making spending cuts in the hardest-hit areas.

He said: "The question that needs to be asked is why is Nottingham City Council facing so many Government cuts compared to more affluent areas when so many families are living in poverty?

"Last year, some areas saw increases in their budget, while ourselves and other authorities faced big cuts."

The city council has faced cuts of £60 million this year, with a further £55 million being slashed in the next two years. According to the report, children live in poverty if their family's annual income is below 60 per cent of the UK average of £26,000.

Along with Nottingham, the only areas outside London in ten worst , were Manchester, Derry and Belfast.

The worst-hit area of Nottingham is Aspley, where 52 per cent of children live in poverty, while other problem spots include Bilborough, Bulwell and St Ann's.

Nottingham North MP Graham Allen, whose constituency includes Aspley, feels the figures can be improved.

He said: "We have the attitude in Nottingham to tackle this by getting to the root of problems early.

"With our early-intervention programme in Nottingham, we are equipping children with the social and emotional skills to make the best of themselves."

David Harris, principal of the Nottingham University Samworth Academy, in Bilborough, said: "There are a lot of positive things about Nottingham.

"We work hard here to raise the aspirations of our students to show them that there are opportunities out there and that they can make a success of themselves.

"We have a good bunch of head teachers in this area who are very positive about Nottingham. We are lucky to have young people who want to be successful in this city."

Councillor David Mellen, city council portfolio holder for children's services, said: "We know that a child living in poverty is more likely to have poorer health, lower attainment and less earning potential.

"Therefore, we are undertaking a considerable amount of activity to support parents and carers into work and help them to increase their family income.

"For example, the Nottingham Jobs Fair enabled 536 people to enter work and we have created the £1.5 million Jobs Fund to support young people aged 18 to 24."