There has been a 17% increase in child poverty in Sefton over the past five years,
With over 8,000 children living in relative pvoerty in the borough, some of the impacts include an educational attainment gap which leaves some children give months behind their peers.
A council report released this week looking at Sefton’s approach to tackling child poverty lays out the scale of the problem in the borough.
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Just over one in four children of primary school age and one in five secondary school pupils are in receipt of free school meals in Sefton, with this jumping to nearly half of all pupils with special educational needs.
The pandemic has exacerbated the situation for many families, with twice as many in Sefton relying on benefits such as universal credit than before the pandemic.
The picture in Sefton is not consistent however. While some parts are among the least deprived in the country, other areas, particularly in South Sefton are in the top 1% for deprivation in the UK.
This north-south divide means that when the borough is taken as a whole it is among the least deprived in the north west, a picture however which fails to reflect the situation for those in the most deprived parts of the borough living with “persistent disadvantage” and chronic “low social mobility.”
In 2021 Sefton Council declared a “poverty emergency” and committed to tackling the scourge of child poverty in the borough.
The report, which is due to be discussed at a meeting of Sefton Council’s cabinet on Thursday, details some of the steps the council is taking to address the issue.
It notes this “requires a huge joint effort to improve opportunities and remove barriers related to household income” – something made more challenging by the current cost of living crisis.
According to the report, the council’s priorities can be summarised as “pockets, prospects and places” – seeking to tackle the economic causes of poverty by improving employment opportunities and reducing cost of living; narrowing the educational attainment gap and focusing on children’s early learning and development and creating inclusive spaces that “support social cohesion, diversity and participation.”
The report points to measures such as the council’s recently launched ‘Caring Business Charter’ and the affordable homes scheme as examples of approaches that seek to tackle some of the causes of poverty that impact upon children.
Setting out a series of short and long term actions the council are taking, the report concludes: “Tackling poverty is a long-term aspiration and will not be achieved overnight.
“An important next step is to take an honest look at how our poverty reduction goals stack up against how services and other types of support are resourced, designed and delivered at the moment.”
Cabinet members will now meet to discuss the contents of the report and plans to tackle child poverty in the borough at Bootle Town Hall on Thursday October 6.
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