NEW ANALYSIS: Northumberland child poverty rose 15.6% in final years of Tory rule as Labour extends support for struggling households

New analysis from Northumberland Labour reveals relative child poverty has risen a staggering 15.6% in Northumberland since 2015. Across the country, 1.3 million more people have fallen into poverty since 2010/11, with living standards falling by the largest year-on-year drop since records began in 2022/23.

The analysis comes as the new Labour Government announces a £421m boost to local authorities to help vulnerable families with the cost of their energy, food and water – through an extension of the Household Support Fund.

Publishing the figures, Northumberland Labour’s Leader Scott Dickinson MBE said,

“The Conservatives left Britain broke and broken. But here in Northumberland, the new Labour government is already taking action to fix the foundations of our country and get Britain moving again.

“The Tories mismanaged our economy so badly that we’ve all taken a battering in recent years – and the children and families pushed into poverty by Conservative incompetence have been hit harder than most. That’s why Labour has announced the £421m extension to the Household Support Scheme – to help families in places like Northumberland get through the winter ahead.

“And Labour won’t stop there – the new government is taking further action to fix the foundations through our plans to grow the economy, make work pay, and Get Britain Working again.

Given the dire economic inheritance Labour has been faced with, the Government has had to take difficult decisions to put our public finances on a sustainable footing as we tackle the £22 billion black hole.

1.3 million more people have fallen into poverty since 2010/11, with living standards falling by the largest year-on-year drop since records began in 2022/23. For over a decade people have also been denied the security and dignity that good work affords with more than a near record 2.8 million people out of work due to sickness.

As Labour continues our work to deliver growth, make work pay and develop our child poverty strategy in the long term, the extension of the Fund prevents councils and vulnerable households experiencing an immediate cliff edge of support with a tough winter ahead. Further details on the latest scheme for local authorities and councils will be communicated in the coming weeks.

The government is exploring options around how best to provide sustainable support to vulnerable households in the longer term while the ministerial Child Poverty Taskforce develops an ambitious strategy to tackle the root causes of poverty, and the Get Britain Working White Paper, to be set out in the Autumn, will develop measures to reduce inactivity and help people to find better paid and more secure jobs.

By growing the economy and unlocking investment through the National Wealth Fund; launching Great British Energy to drive home-grown clean energy and lower bills; making work pay and developing a new Child Poverty Strategy to give children the best start in life – the Government is looking at all levers available to unlock the potential of millions across the country and give them the platform they need to thrive.