Taking positive steps to tackle child poverty

Almost 1 in 4 children in the city now live in poverty – up 10 per cent since 2014 – with new projections by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation suggesting that is unlikely to improve within the next 5 years.

However, Newcastle City Council is facing that challenge head on and taking positive, proactive steps to improve the lives of young people and their families.

Cllr Lesley Storey said: “We know there are people in our city who are struggling, and that more can be done to help them. As our Director of Public Health’s recent annual report makes clear poverty can have lifelong consequences, impacting everything from wellbeing to happiness, opportunities, and life expectancy. The Government says that no child should be in poverty and that children should enjoy the best start in life – ambitions we can only wholeheartedly support. However, for the council to do more to support our residents we need the resources and capacity to do so. We await with interest what the Government will set out in its poverty strategy later in the year, and hope that Westminster will support our own significant efforts to help every child – and the adults they become – thrive here in Newcastle.”

In his 2024 annual report – which featured a chapter on Newcastle – Professor Chris Whitty found that all cities are facing similar challenges, due to the concentration of major health issues in high population areas. In response Newcastle is taking a number of steps to support the city’s children, young people and their families.

Investing in wraparound childcare

Becoming a Marmot City 

Free school breakfasts initiative 

Supporting the city’s youth services 

Free school meal auto-enrolment 

Strengthening support for children and families 

The Evry programme 

To read more please follow this link: Taking positive steps to tackle child poverty | Newcastle City Council