Gateshead Council to form plans amid £28m regional fund to tackle poverty
Gateshead Council is setting in motion a plan for child poverty amid new regional multi-million pound funding to tackle the issue. According to regional statistics almost 12,500 babies, children, and young people in Gateshead alone are growing up in poverty.
Following the approval of the North East Combined Authority’s (NECA) £28.6m child poverty fund in July, Gateshead Council is now taking its steps to implement the cash within its own boundaries, with the authority’s women and girls committee scheduled to meet next week.
Key plans within the regional plans include the expansion of baby boxes, continued support for pre-apprenticeship training, and maintaining free public transport for those leaving care up to the age of 25. The regional fund and plan will stretch five years from 2025 to 2030.
Figures from NECA state that around 12,450 children and young people in Gateshead are being raised in poverty. Equating to 31% of the youth demographic throughout the area. Reporting by the Local Democracy Reporting Service in April this year also found that 62,600 Gateshead residents were living in the top 20% most deprived areas in England. Half of those were also found to be living in the top 10% most deprived.
The same report from April also disclosed that rates of child poverty in Felling are at 56%, followed by areas such as Bensham and Sheriff Hill at 43% each. In addition, of the 10,000 people supported by the Gateshead Foodbank at the time of the publication of the report, almost 3,000 are children.
Gateshead Council’s women and girls committee will meet on Thursday, October 2 to discuss the new funding and its implementation locally.