London child poverty rate reaches 39% – the highest of any UK region, even before the pandemic

London’s child poverty rate rose to 39% in 2018-2019 – up from 37% the year before –  according to research published today by the End Child Poverty coalition.  The increase shows the scale of the challenge faced by government if it is to realise its ambition to build back better after the pandemic.

The research by Loughborough University shows that, even before the pandemic, London boroughs dominated the list of UK local authorities where child poverty is highest, with 14 of the 20 child poverty hotspot boroughs in the capital.  In nine London parliamentary constituencies more than half of children are living below the poverty line once housing costs are taken into account (tables below).

While London is not in the top 20 areas for the fastest growth in child poverty between 2014-15 –2018-19 after housing costs are factored in, the new data shows the huge impact of high housing costs on child poverty rates in the capital (table below).  Whereas for the UK as a whole the child poverty rate is 10 percentage points higher once housing costs are factored in, in London including housing costs increases child poverty to a greater degree.  For example, ignoring housing costs, the child poverty rate in Bethnal Green and Bow constituency is 30%.  But if housing costs are factored in, as they should be, the rate is 61%.  In Hackney South and Shoreditch, ignoring housing costs, the rate is 24%. That rises to 52% when housing costs are taken into account.

The 20 local authorities with highest child poverty rates in the UK, 2018/19

The 20 parliamentary constituencies with highest child poverty rates in the UK, 2018/19

The impact of poverty on children is well documented with children from low income families more likely to experience worse physical and mental health; do less well in school; and have fewer opportunities in the future. The coalition is calling on the Government to recognise the scale of the problem and its impact on children’s lives. They are urging the Government to set out an ambitious plan to tackle child poverty encompassing not only social security spending but the high cost of housing and childcare and investment in children’s services.

The report is based on data published by the Department for Work and Pensions in March 2020, and on estimates of the effect of housing costs on poverty rates produced by the Centre for Research in Social Policy at Loughborough University, based on survey evidence.

Earlier this year, Boris Johnson was rebuked by the statistics watchdog for his repeated misuse of child poverty statistics. The Statistics Authority upheld a complaint from the End Child Poverty coalition judging that on three separate occasions his statements on child poverty were ‘incorrect’.