Children living in area of Droitwich amongst poorest in county (From Droitwich Advertiser)

Children living in area of Droitwich amongst poorest in county

7:40am Sunday 24th February 2013 in News

CHILDREN living in an area of Droitwich Spa have been named amongst the poorest in the county.

Nearly a quarter of children from the Droitwich West ward are living in poverty according to figures published by the Campaign to End Child Poverty.

The area came sixth in Worcestershire’s child poverty league of shame by having 24 per cent of children living in poverty.

Dr Carl Ellson, chief clinical officer for NHS South Worcestershire Clinical Commissioning Group, which holds the purse strings for care, said: “Reducing health inequalities is a priority and the child poverty figures released indicate some of the challenges we face as a commissioner of local healthcare.”

A Department for Work and Pensions spokesman said: "We are committed to eradicating child poverty, but we want to take a new approach by tackling the root causes including worklessness, educational failure and family breakdown.

"Our welfare reforms will improve the lives of some of the poorest families in our communities, with the Universal Credit simplifying the complex myriad of benefits and making three million people better off."

* How child poverty is measured: Children are classified as being in poverty if they live in families in receipt of out of work benefits or in-work tax credits where reported income is less than 60 per cent of median income (before housing costs are taken into account). The figures represent only a ‘modest’ official estimate of poverty according to the campaign without taking into account high rents and mortgage payments.

Worcestershire child poverty league of shame (percentage of children living in poverty).

(1) Oldington and Foley Park, Kidderminster (Wyre Forest): 41 per cent.

(2) Warndon, Worcester (Worcester City): 34 per cent.

(3) Pickersleigh, Malvern (Malvern Hills): 31 per cent

(4) Rainbow Hill, Worcester (Worcester City): 29 per cent.

(5) Broadwaters, Kidderminster (Wyre Forest): 27 per cent.

(6) Droitwich West, Droitwich (Wychavon): 24 per cent.

Greenlands, Redditch (Redditch): 24 per cent

(7) Batchley, Redditch: 23 per cent

(8) Areley Kings, (Wyre Forest): 22 per cent St John’s, Worcester (Worcester): 22 per cent.

(9) Abbey, Redditch (Redditch): 21 per cent.

(10) Charford, Bromsgrove (Bromsgrove): 20 per cent Least poor areas in Worcester with under 5 per cent child poverty: Warndon Parish south, St Peter’s and Claines.