Research carried out by Loughborough University for the End Child Poverty Coalition shows that the on the Isle of Wight a third of children are still living in poverty on the Isle of Wight.
The research reveals that after housing costs, in 2019-20, 32 per cent of children were living in poverty on Isle of Wight. That is 7,011 children on the Isle of Wight and just above the UK figure of 31 per cent.
This is a slight drop since 2018/19, which saw 7,311 Island children (33.2 per cent) living in poverty after housing costs.
The figure is lower than neighbouring areas in Southampton and Portsmouth, which have pockets of greater poverty, ranging from 34 to 38 per cent.
Chair of the End Child Poverty Coalition, Anna Feuchtwang, said,
“The figures speak for themselves – the situation for children couldn’t be starker. We all want to live in a society where children are supported to be the best they can be, but the reality is very different for too many.
“The UK Government can be in no doubt about the challenge it faces if it is serious about ‘levelling up’ parts of the country hardest hit by poverty. After the year we’ve all had, they owe it to our children to come up with a plan to tackle child poverty that includes a boost to children’s benefits. And they need to scrap plans to cut Universal Credit given parents and children are having a tough enough time as it is.”
For more information on how poverty is measured, see the End Child Poverty Website.
Read the report in full by clicking on the full screen icon.
