Figures released by the Campaign to End Child Poverty yesterday paint a bleak picture, particularly for London’s children.
Our capital, home to some of the most expensive real estate in the world, officially contains the highest child poverty rates in the UK.
Ten London constituencies hold this unfortunate accolade. Bethnal Green and Bow, which has 49% children in poverty, is the highest in the country. The leafy environs of well-heeled Wimbledon, Twickenham and Richmond Park each have 15%. That’s one child in seven.
London also contains 14 out of the top 20 local authorities with the highest rates of child poverty across the UK. Tower Hamlets is the London borough with the highest rate at (49%) and Richmond upon Thames the lowest (15%). In fifteen of the 33 London boroughs, between one third and a half of children are poor. This is a shocking statistic.
But enough about London. The Campaign to End Child Poverty has created a UK deprivation map, revealing the wide disparity in poverty rates across the UK, between regions and striking variations even within regions.
Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Bradford and Leeds each have over 40% of their children living in poverty. The best place to live if you want to raise a family out of penury? The Shetland Isles.
Here at LandAid we are approaching the deadline for our biennial grants application round, and the amount of need out there is staggering. Over 200 applications for grant funding and pro bono propoerty advice so far, with an estimated value rising well into the tens of millions.
We will have approximately £1 million to spend. Many applicants will miss out. And as usual, its the children who suffer most. They have no control over their situation. We need to help them.
A week today the property industry will be celebrating LandAid Day, the sector’s annual day of giving for disadvantaged children and young people. You can help change their lives by doing something amazing on 23 October. Dowload the fundraising toolkit and make a plan today.