Estimates of child poverty after housing costs in parliamentary constituencies and local authorities
This report summarises findings for the latest update to the Local Indicators of Child Poverty After Housing Costs statistics produced by the Centre for Research in Social Policy, Loughborough University, for the End Child Poverty Coalition. The data build upon the Children in Low Income Families data produced by the Department for Work and Pensions, which show the rate of child poverty before housing costs in local areas. Using local administrative data and analysis of the household survey Understanding Society, we produced modelled estimates that account for housing costs, thereby providing a more
accurate picture of how disposable incomes vary in different geographical areas.
We present findings for the new parliamentary constituencies that will come into effect following the general election in July 2024, providing a valuable source of information for the incoming government in developing targeted strategies to reduce child poverty across the UK.
Key findings
- In 2022/23, national estimates indicate that 4.3 million children (30% of all children) were in relative poverty, and the poverty rate also remains high across the nations and regions.
- In two-thirds of constituencies, at least one in four children are in relative poverty after housing costs.
- Rates of child poverty at or above 25% are particularly prevalent in the North East, North West and Wales.
- There is widespread inequality in the rate of child poverty within the countries and regions of the UK, and this has widened over time.
- Constituency-level child poverty rates are directly and strongly correlated with the percentage of children affected by the two-child limit in that local area, providing further evidence that the policy is a key driver of child poverty.
- Reducing child poverty in local areas will rely not only on targeted action within these communities, but will require changes at a national level such as removing the two-child limit and increasing the value of working age benefits.
