New statistics released by the End Child Poverty Coalition highlights the stark reality for so many living in London, that more than half of children in some constituencies in the capital are living in poverty.
A child is said to live in poverty if they are in a family living on less than 60% of median household income.
The constituency with the highest levels of child poverty in the UK is Bethnal Green and Bow, in the London borough of Tower Hamlets, with 54.18% of children in poverty in 2017.
In third place were two other wards of Tower Hamlets, Poplar and Limehouse.
This meant the borough was placed first in the country for child poverty rates with 53.4% of children across the area in poverty last year.
Hackney, Westminster, Islington and Camden were also named in the top ten.
No only does Bethnal Green and Bow have the largest percentage of children in poverty, it also has the fastest growing rate of child poverty. Between December 2015 and September 2017, the number grew by eleven percentage points.
London constituencies
The End Child Poverty Coalition, made up of around 100 charitable organisations, blame the high levels of child poverty partly on the freeze to child benefits that has seen living standards squeezed as prices rise.
They argue that since the introduction of the benefit freeze, low income families have found it increasingly hard to pay for basic essentials.
Sam Royston, the chair of group, said: “There can be little doubt that the Government’s policy of maintaining the benefits freeze despite rising prices is a major contributor to the emerging crisis.”
“It is scandalous that a child born in some parts of the UK now has a greater chance of growing up in poverty, than being in a family above the breadline.”
City News spoke to Shel, a mother of two living in Tower Hamlets. She believes the current government do not care enough about poor people but is unsure what can be done to change the situation.
Shel spoke about her own experiences on the poverty line that has led to her young son being transferred between schools for bad behaviour. She believes this is partly because parents in Tower Hamlets cannot guarantee a stable life for their children.
She spoke of friends evicted from their properties due to increases in their rent. Shel was angered by the number of properties being bought by overseas visitors to use as a second home. These are not just the grand houses of Kensington, she explained, but the “ordinary” houses down her street.
Many people like Shel feel disheartened and are unsure of the future. They are shocked that in a first world country, one that is supposed to be a world leader, there are such horrific living conditions.
The feeling on the streets of Tower Hamlets is that London does not deserve its prestige and that people should not be sucked in by its claim to be the greatest city on earth.
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HeadlineTower Hamlets: A story of child poverty
Short HeadlineTower Hamlets: A story of child poverty
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New statistics released by the End Child Poverty Coalition highlights the stark reality for so many living in London, that more than half of children in some constituencies in the capital are living in poverty.
A child is said to live in poverty if they are in a family living on less than 60% of median household income.
The constituency with the highest levels of child poverty in the UK is Bethnal Green and Bow, in the London borough of Tower Hamlets, with 54.18% of children in poverty in 2017.
In third place were two other wards of Tower Hamlets, Poplar and Limehouse.
This meant the borough was placed first in the country for child poverty rates with 53.4% of children across the area in poverty last year.
Hackney, Westminster, Islington and Camden were also named in the top ten.
No only does Bethnal Green and Bow have the largest percentage of children in poverty, it also has the fastest growing rate of child poverty. Between December 2015 and September 2017, the number grew by eleven percentage points.
London constituencies
The End Child Poverty Coalition, made up of around 100 charitable organisations, blame the high levels of child poverty partly on the freeze to child benefits that has seen living standards squeezed as prices rise.
They argue that since the introduction of the benefit freeze, low income families have found it increasingly hard to pay for basic essentials.
Sam Royston, the chair of group, said: “There can be little doubt that the Government’s policy of maintaining the benefits freeze despite rising prices is a major contributor to the emerging crisis.”
“It is scandalous that a child born in some parts of the UK now has a greater chance of growing up in poverty, than being in a family above the breadline.”
City News spoke to Shel, a mother of two living in Tower Hamlets. She believes the current government do not care enough about poor people but is unsure what can be done to change the situation.
Shel spoke about her own experiences on the poverty line that has led to her young son being transferred between schools for bad behaviour. She believes this is partly because parents in Tower Hamlets cannot guarantee a stable life for their children.
She spoke of friends evicted from their properties due to increases in their rent. Shel was angered by the number of properties being bought by overseas visitors to use as a second home. These are not just the grand houses of Kensington, she explained, but the “ordinary” houses down her street.
Many people like Shel feel disheartened and are unsure of the future. They are shocked that in a first world country, one that is supposed to be a world leader, there are such horrific living conditions.
The feeling on the streets of Tower Hamlets is that London does not deserve its prestige and that people should not be sucked in by its claim to be the greatest city on earth.
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