News / Child Poverty
One in five children now growing up in poverty in Bristol
The number of South West children growing up in poverty in working households has increased by almost 36,000 since 2010.
The analysis – carried out for the TUC by Landman Economics – shows that in Bristol, 21 per cent of children are living in poverty, but after housing costs are taken into account, the numbers jump to one in four children.
By constituency levels, Bristol South and Bristol West have almost a third of all children living in poverty (29 per cent), with Bristol East and North West not too far behind at 26 per cent of all children.
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According to the TUC, government cuts to in-work benefit have been a key driver behind the increase. Other key factors behind the rise in child poverty are:
- weak wage growth
- the spread of insecure work
- population growth
- the rise in the number of working families hasn’t been enough to lift families out of poverty
- abolition of child poverty targets
Bristol mayor Marvin Rees said that while his administration has been “working tirelessly to build a City of Hope, a decade of Tory austerity has fuelled poverty and hopelessness”.
He told Bristol24/7: “Westminster withdrew holiday hunger funding this summer, so we stepped up to deliver. Feeding Bristol and city partners raised £100,000 to distribute 60,000 free meals to children who would have otherwise gone hungry this summer.
“Despite national government falling short on the numbers needed, in Bristol we’re delivering the homes that people need.
“Locally, other parties actively campaign against new affordable and social housing – despite 12,000 Bristolians on the waiting list, 500 families in emergency accommodation, and 100 people sleeping rough.
“In the face of wages stagnating and in-work benefits being cut, we introduced the real Living Wage in Bristol for council workers and contractors.
“With 30,000 Bristolians still paid less than that, we’re proud to be working with the TUC, trade unions, and employers to continue to build a better Bristol where the real Living Wage is a benchmark for everyone and not an aspiration.”
TUC regional secretary of the south west Nigel Costley added: “The Conservatives’ cuts to in-work benefits have come at a terrible human cost. As too has their failure to tackle insecure work and get wages rising across the economy.
“We need a government focused on helping working families, not more tax cuts for wealthy donors and hedge funds.”
Read more: Five people die prematurely in Bristol every week because of air pollution
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