More than a third of children living in poverty in four London boroughs

Housing costs in South London are pushing children into poverty, new research shows.

According to a study by Loughborough University, Southwark has the sixth highest rate of child poverty in the country at 43.1 per cent.

Three other South London boroughs are among the 20 poorest in the UK, with 42.6 per cent of children living in poverty in Lambeth, 42 per cent in Greenwich and 39 per cent in Lewisham

The research also shows that the high cost of housing in South London is a major contributing factor to the problem.

Before the cost of rent and other bills are taken into account, there is a 20 per cent rate of child poverty in Southwark.

When these costs are included in the data, the rate more than doubles.

The same is true in other local authority areas, with the rate increasing by 21 percent in Greenwich, 22.6 per cent in Lambeth and 19 per cent in Lewisham once housing costs are taken into account.

The poverty line is 60% of UK’s median income, where the median is the level of income after direct taxes and benefits, adjusted for household size.

Elizabeth Wyatt, from Housing Action Lambeth and Southwark, said: “It’s absolutely shameful that child poverty continues to increase in our boroughs fueled by a decade of austerity and the government’s failure to invest in high quality family-sized council homes we all need and deserve. 

“Sky high private rents, benefit cuts and racist immigration rules like No Recourse to Public Funds mean that more and more families are being forced into deep poverty as they try to keep a roof over their heads. 

“Often the private rented housing that families are paying so much for is overcrowded, unsafe and in a state of disrepair. The insecurity of the private rented sector also pushes families into a cycle of homelessness and poverty.”

The figures used in the research ended in March 2020, so do not cover any cases caused by the pandemic, meaning the numbers could be still higher.

Laurence Guiness, Chief Executive of London’s child poverty charity The Childhood Trust, said: “Successive governments have completely failed to build enough social housing with affordable rents for families in London. 

“We see the consequences of this every day with tens of thousands of children in South London living in overcrowded, squalid housing that is both expensive and unfit for purpose leaving children trapped in poverty with no prospect of moving to a better home. 

“In these toxic circumstances, children are telling us that they are losing hope and are growing up resentful and angry. This has to change.” 

The End Child Poverty coalition, who commissioned the research, is calling on the government to create a plan to end child poverty which they say must include a commitment to increase child benefits.

They are also calling for the planned £20 a week cut to Universal Credit in October to be revoked.

A spokesman for the Department of Work and Pensions said: “Latest figures show that the number of children in absolute poverty has fallen by 300,000 since 2010.

“We are committed to supporting families most in need, spending billions more on welfare and planning a long-term route out of poverty by protecting jobs through furlough and helping people find new work through our Plan for Jobs. We also introduced our £269 million Covid Local Support Grant to help children and families stay warm and well-fed throughout the pandemic.”

Main image: credit Katie Wilson / The Childhood Trust 2021