Six of the 10 worst neighbourhoods for child poverty in England are located in Birmingham, according to sobering new data that underscores the scale of the city's child poverty crisis. The figures reveal that thousands of children are living in households where parents struggle to afford sufficient food.
Ladywood worst in the country
Ladywood has the highest levels of child poverty of any parliamentary constituency in England. Local data also highlights the most deprived streets within communities hardest hit by the cost of living crisis.
Heartlands and Alum Rock among worst
The Heartlands area in Birmingham is joint second worst nationally, with two-thirds of children (66%) living below the breadline before housing costs are considered. Alum Rock follows closely in fourth place with a 64% child poverty rate. Bordesley Green and Small Heath rank fifth and sixth, with rates of 63% and 62% respectively. Sparkbrook and Balsall Heath East, along with Ward End, also feature in the unwanted top 10, each with a 60% child poverty rate.
These statistics provide further evidence that families in Birmingham face severe challenges in feeding their children week to week. The Labour government has made tackling child poverty a core mission, recently scrapping the two-child benefit cap to address the issue.
Parliamentary constituencies affected
In terms of parliamentary constituencies, three in Birmingham rank among the top five nationally: Ladywood; Hodge Hill and Solihull North; and Perry Barr. They are closely followed by Yardley, and Hall Green and Moseley.
Sophie Livingstone MBE, chair of the End Child Poverty coalition, said: “One child growing up in poverty is one child too many and the figures show the huge scale of the problem as families face renewed cost of living fears. Securing a true assessment of the scale of child poverty in the UK is essential and it’s something we have called on ministers to carry out for many years. We are pleased that more accurate data is now available. This is going to help ministers and community leaders tackle child poverty in the regions of the UK that need it most. Scrapping the two-child limit to benefits was a good start but there is still work for the UK Government to do and continued investment to be made to give children the best start in life.”
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Pat McFadden, said: “This Government is determined to turn the tide on poverty after years of rising hardship. The statistics show that effort is beginning to make a difference - household incomes have risen 5% in real terms, food bank usage has fallen, and food insecurity is down. But we know there is more to do. That is why we are raising the National Living Wage by up to £900 a year for a full-time worker, cutting average energy bills by £150 from April, and delivering our Child Poverty Strategy which will lift 550,000 children out of poverty by the end of this parliament.”
