New figures have revealed that 29.8% of children in Plymouth are living in poverty, a total of 14,170 children, according to 2019/20 government figures. There was in an increase of 869 children living in poverty in Plymouth in the last five years, nearly 29 more classrooms full of children.
End Child Poverty, a coalition of 70 organisations and professional bodies has published research by Loughborough University, based on data from the Department of Work and Pensions.
The constituency of Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport in the south of the city had the highest rate of child poverty, at 33.7%,after housing costs in 2019/20.
The baseline poverty rate in England has increased significantly in recent years. According to the Department of Work and Pensions, 4.3 million children in 2019/20 lived in families with incomes below 60% of the median after housing costs. This is an increase of 500,000 over five years.
Luke Pollard, Labour and Co-operative MP for Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport said:
“These figures are alarming. What’s even more worrying is these figures are from before the pandemic. I suspect the impact of Covid-19 will see these numbers shoot up.
“It is utterly shameful that a third of our children are living in poverty. We need a proper strategy to eradicate child poverty in our city. Plymouth’s kids deserve better than this”