Anti-Poverty Strategy 2024 to 2027
What does poverty look like in our Borough?
Key facts and figures
- average male life expectancy is 77.9 years. In some areas of the Borough, life expectancy is lower than 67 years, which is up to 17 years lower than other areas which have a life expectancy of over 84 years
- average female life expectancy is 81.1 years. In some areas of the Borough, life expectancy is lower than 72 years, which is up to 18 years lower than other areas which have a life expectancy of over 90 years
- under 75 mortality rate* from all causes (2022). Stockton-on-Tees is 397.5, compared to England 342.3
- 19% of the population live with a limiting long-term condition against 21.6% in the North East. The percentage is highest in Stockton Town Centre (27%) and lowest in Ingleby Barwick West (8%)
- 7.5% of the population aged 18 to 24 (965) are claiming out-of-work benefits against 4.6% nationally
- in 2021 to 2022, 24.9% of population aged 16 to 64 are economically inactive against 21.2% nationally
- in 2022 to 2023,18.7% of children were living in relative low income families against 19.8% nationally
- in 2022 to 2023, there were more than 550 children in our care, a rate of 134 per 10,000 children, against a national rate of 71 per 10,000 children
The Centre for Progressive Policy's Cost of Living Vulnerability Index shows Stockton-on-Tees to be one of the most vulnerable local authorities in the country.:
- our poorest residents face a 3% higher inflation rate than average because a much greater proportion of their income is spent on essentials of food and energy. For them, it is a struggle to afford the basic essentials of everyday living
- Stockton-on-Tees has some of the highest poverty and deprivation rates in the country
- as a Borough, we have poorer health, higher unemployment and economic inactivity rates and high benefit claimant rates
- as of April 2024, there were 23,061 people claiming universal credit in the Borough
- in some wards, there are lower levels of educational attainment and lower quality housing stock (around 60,000 houses are estimated to lack basic insulation) than most other local authorities
- child poverty rates are particularly high; 32.6% of children were in poverty in 2021 to 2022 in Stockton-on-Tees.This is equal to 14,608 children
The Council's Welfare Support team have continued their ongoing work to alleviate poverty through a range of initiatives including the Back on Track scheme which includes providing cash awards, food vouchers, home delivery and referral to food banks. To access this support, a referral is not needed but it is means tested as the scheme is designed to provide short-term 'crisis-point' help. The following table details the number of people who have been supported by the Council's Welfare Support Team:
Type of support | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Discretionary Housing Payments | 1674 | 1419 | 1347 | 1200 |
Food | 783 | 908 | 1266 | 935 |
Fuel | 617 | 848 | 1279 | 839 |
Settlement | 627 | 590 | 659 | 647 |
Income Maximisation | 1763 | 2951 | 3542 | 3128 |
Food insecurity and poverty remains a key concern across the Borough, meaning more of our residents are accessing food banks and food pantries. The following image outlines the different types of food support available and eligibility for accessing each service:
Foodbanks | Community Pantries | The Bread and Butter Thing |
|---|---|---|
Works to alleviate food poverty | Works to alleviate food poverty | Works to alleviate food poverty |
Prepacked food parcels are free of charge | Food items are sold at a discounted price, for example £1 for eight items. Customer can choose items. | Prepacked food bags sold for £8.50 (worth approx. £25 if bought in a supermarket) |
Referral required to access food parcels | No referral needed, not means-tested | No referral needed, not means-tested |
Designed to be short-term, crisis point help | Designed to be a longer-term solution to food poverty | Designed to be a longer-term solution to food poverty, often used as a 'top-up shop' |
During March 2024, over 1,000 residents accessed a foodbank.The top reasons for referral were:
- rising cost of essentials
- priority debt
- impact of health
- low or insufficient income
- budgeting Issues
As part of local efforts to alleviate the problems associated with the cost of living, five Bread and Butter Thing Hubs have been established across the Borough in 2023 to 2024 (funded through monies secured by the Household Support Fund and Thirteen Housing). The Bread and Butter Thing is an initiative aiming to 'make life more affordable for people on low incomes, build stronger communities and reduce food waste. The 5 Hubs enable our residents to purchase weekly groceries at a reduced price.
Within the first six months of its operation, almost 7,000 people across the Borough have utilised The Bread-and-Butter Thing Hubs. On average, residents have saved around £25 per 'shop' (based on a 3-bag 'shop' priced at £8.50) meaning that overall residents have, so far, saved around £168,800 through this scheme. This demonstrates that there is a significant demand for this service, which is often oversubscribed in some hubs.
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