Anti-Poverty Strategy April 2009

Transcription

1 Anti-Poverty Strategy April 2009

2 Contents Anti-Poverty Strategy 1. Poverty in Cumbria 1 An introduction Page 2. What we know about poverty in Cumbria 6 Deprivation - overall 8 Pay and income 9 Unemployment and benefit claimant levels 10 Children and young people 12 Health and well-being 13 Fuel poverty 14 Conclusions The council s role in tackling poverty 16 A checklist against which all future policy for the council will be evaluated This report has been prepared by Richard Parry, Acting Corporate Director Adult and Cultural Services richard.parry@cumbriacc.gov.uk To contact Cumbria County Council s Policy Unit policy@cumbriacc.gov.uk or call To contact Cumbria County Council s Communities Unit stuart.pate@cumbriacc.gov.uk or call Images courtesy of West Lakes Renaissance and careimages.com

3 3 1. Poverty in Cumbria

4 Poverty is affecting the lives of people across all parts of Cumbria. Low incomes limit opportunities and prospects for children and young people, damage the quality of life for families and ultimately harm the long-term health and life expectancy for too many Cumbrians. Poverty isn t just an economic issue it has a direct impact on health and well being and on quality of life. It doesn t just affect the here and now - it has effects which outlast single generations and families, reaching into the future to affect the lives of those not yet born. Children growing up in poverty in Cumbria are more likely to suffer poor health, do less well in school and become the next generation of adults at risk of unemployment and long-term poverty. Approximately 15,000 children under 16 live in income deprived households in Cumbria. A child born and growing up in Moss Bay (Allerdale) can expect to live nearly 20 years less than someone in Greystoke (Eden), a community which is just 30 miles away but where average incomes are much higher. According to Age Concern, almost one in four pensioners live in poverty nationally, with particularly high incidence amongst the older pensioner population. Poverty limits access to the essentials of life, even in 21st Century Cumbria. It can mean a lack of basic necessities like access to affordable, healthy food and a warm and comfortable home. It can cause social isolation, limiting opportunities for contact with friends and family and restricting access to advice and support for those who have a right to expect the most from the public and voluntary sector. It can undermine self-confidence, increase stress levels and diminish the hopes of people who too often face bureaucracy which is insensitive and unresponsive to their needs. Whilst the county as a whole appears relatively affluent, this masks high levels of deprivation affecting specific neighbourhoods and communities, in particular, very significant parts of West Cumbria, Furness and Carlisle. Averaging out of figures across the county also disguises the specific experience of poverty for families and individuals living in all parts of Cumbria. People living on low incomes in many of our communities find it hard to access advice, facilities and afford opportunities and services that others take for granted. Poverty is part of life for many of those both in and out of work in Cumbria with low pay, limited job security and the necessity of taking multiple part-time jobs being a feature of some of the county s economic sectors including tourism (particularly hotel and catering) and agriculture (particularly upland farming), retail and social care. In communities with higher proportions of manufacturing and public service jobs, average wage rates are closer to the regional average. The global economic recession is now making this situation more acute with dramatically increasing numbers of people facing uncertain or already bleak job prospects. Although Cumbria has relatively low representation of economic sectors most at risk from the current crisis like finance, the county has already seen redundancies for some, and reduced hours and thus wages for many more people working in retail and some manufacturing firms. This is causing financial hardship and worries about the future evidenced by increasing demands for advice on re-training, benefits and other support. 4

5 The county council has both an obligation and an opportunity to protect the interests of those in greatest need and to champion the cause of those who are most at risk. People who experience poverty are all too often those who have the least say or direct influence on decisions which we and others take, affecting their lives. They are less likely to give us feedback on our services, are less well represented in conventional consultation and are less able to influence the market through their limited spending power. Impact of the global recession The global economy is facing unprecedented challenges. The combined effect of increased commodity process, especially oil, and less readily available credit is hitting businesses and individuals hard. The UK economy is now certainly in a recession and although there is debate about how prolonged and deep it will be, Cumbria almost certainly has yet to see the most severe effects. Our outcomes to tackle poverty Much of the council s core business is already targeting issues associated with the impact of the economy be it ensuring young people have an education which enables them to explore their full potential, or helping vulnerable adults and young people live independent lives, able to access the support they need. Wherever possible we will prioritise action which helps to lift people out of poverty and improve lives for those on low incomes. Our Council Plan for 2009 includes specific commitments, built into the Cumbria Agreement (LAA) to lead partnership action: Reducing worklessness Improving skills throughout Cumbria Supporting children and young people on the pathway to success Improving life expectancy Strengthening community empowerment Improving the health and well being of children Providing balanced, affordable housing markets, including reducing fuel poverty However, the council will take additional action this year, as set out in this first Anti-Poverty Strategy, to address poverty related issues which will: Prevent families and individuals getting into poverty in the first place, Minimise the harm caused by poverty for people living on low incomes and; Support families and individuals to get out and stay out of poverty We will: Develop a clearer understanding of what life in Cumbria is like for people on low incomes Ensure that key services are as accessible and affordable as possible for people in poverty Work with key partners and other organisations to improve life for people on low incomes Crucially, this Anti Poverty Strategy will form part of the policy framework for the county council and therefore be part of the basis for all future decision making about budgets and priorities. This will ensure that all future choices by the council about services, and about our leadership role, have to take account of their impact on the lowest paid people in our communities. 5

6 6 2. What we know about poverty in Cumbria

7 Information about levels of poverty, and its impact on people s lives comes from a range of sources and places covering issues like health, employment, income and well-being. An important aspect of poverty in Cumbria is the extent to which it restricts people s access to services, employment and training. For the 17.2% of Cumbrians (82,572 people) who don t have a car and are reliant on public transport, this is a particular challenge. Of those who do have a car, many, particularly in rural areas, are unable to access it during the working day and are therefore similarly dependent on local services and/or public transport. Cumbrian wards more deprived less deprived Levels of deprivation are based on the folowing criteria: Crime Benefits claimants Educational attainment Health Environmental quality Access to housing Access to services Employment This produce includes mapping data licensed from Ordnance Survey (c) Crown Copyright 2006 Licence Number Through the Cumbria Intelligence Observatory we re better placed than ever before to get a clear picture of this and in developing this strategy and action plan we will identify gaps in our knowledge and commission further work as required. Some of the headlines of Poverty in Cumbria (all data from Cumbria Intelligence Observatory) are explained on the following pages:

8 Deprivation overall The National Indices of Deprivation 2007 are widely recognised as one of the most accurate measures of quality of life. They take account of a range of factors including: Income levels Employment Training and skills Housing and service accessibility Crime Overall Cumbria is the 84th most deprived county out of 149 this however masks the local situation where: Barrow is the 29th most deprived district out of 354 (same as in 2004) Copeland is 78th most deprived (getting slightly worse relative to others than 2004) Allerdale is 119th most deprived (getting slightly better relative to others than 2004) Carlisle is 110th most deprived (getting slightly better relative to others than 2004) Within some of our districts are some of the very most deprived places in England (classed as lower super output areas where about 1,500 people live). 44% of Barrow s lower super output areas are in the most deprived fifth of English areas 24.5% of Copeland s areas are in the most deprived fifth of English areas 24.5 of Allerdale s areas are in the most deprived fifth of English areas 23.5% of Carlisle s areas are in the most deprived fifth of English areas Eden is the most deprived district for geographical barriers in mainland England, according to the Indices of Deprivation (e.g. to accessing services), with only the Isles of Scilly more deprived. This means local people without access to private transport will find it very difficult to get to important things they need. 8

9 Pay and income Median Income in Cumbria (2008) an indication of average wage levels is a stark indicator of a relatively low-wage economy with all parts of the county below the UK average and most below north west levels: Household income by district Households in Cumbria with an income of less than 10,000 Cumbria - 25,921 Allerdale - 25,512 Barrow - 23,493 Carlisle - 25,846 Copeland - 25,793 Eden - 27,226 South Lakeland UK - 28,676 North West - 26,846 South Lakeland Eden Copeland Allerdale Carlisle Barrow Number of HHs ( 000s) Allerdale Barrow Carlisle Copeland Eden South Lakeland 0-10k 10k- 20k 20k- 30k 30k- 40k 40k+ However, even these district based figures mask much lower average wage levels when individual wards are considered. Towns like Alston and Millom as well as parts of Barrow, West Cumbria and Carlisle include wards with median incomes of 18,900-23,400, the lowest range for Cumbria. Information from CACI Acorn, a widely used tool in the private and public sector for identifying different types of household, based on a range of census and survey information shows that 18.6% of Cumbria s population are hard pressed. This definition is the most deprived category with high levels of unemployment, limited long term illness and comparatively low levels of qualifications. People in this category are likely to be experiencing the most difficult social and economic conditions in the UK with limited opportunities to improve their circumstances. 9

10 Unemployment and benefit claimant levels Long-term unemployment claimant count is one indicator of people who we can expect to be on low incomes. Figures here are all shown for the December 2008 claimant count. Overall Cumbria is lower than UK and NW average for long-term unemployment: With 6.8% of unemployed people claiming for over 12 months (9% for UK) With 19.8% of unemployed people claiming for more than 6 months (22.9% for UK) Again though at a more local level the picture is more acute: In Barrow, 8.5% claiming for over 12 months and 23.5% claiming for more than 6 months In Copeland, 8.4% claiming for over 12 months and 23.8% claiming for over 6 months Looking at the number of claimants, alongside the number of job vacancies gives a picture of how difficult it is for people in long-term unemployment to find work. The latest figures (November 2008) show that in: Cumbria as a whole, there are 2.76 unemployment claimants per vacancy Copeland this rises to 5.65 people seeking each job Barrow this is 5.28 people per job Allerdale this is 3.99 people per job Carlisle this is 2.57 people per job 10

11 The early impacts of the global recession are starting to effect Cumbria employment. The number of claimants in Cumbria rose in the year to February 2009 by 59% to stand at 8,135 with 766 additional claimants over the last month. This is the highest number since summer Information on working age people claiming out of work benefits is another useful indicator of worklessness. There are strong causal links between worklessness, low income and factors behind low self-esteem poor diet and substance abuse. Cumbria has 40,825 people claiming benefits 13.7% of the working age population. The latest figures only cover the period to summer 2008 so we expect this figure to be significantly higher today. In August 2008 Central ward in Barrow had the highest out of work claim rate in Cumbria at 38.5%. This is more than the English average (13.7%), and substantially more than comparator authorities like Cheshire (11.4%), Lancashire (14.5%), Cornwall (13.8%) and Lincolnshire (13.1%). However, our performance in reducing this level is stronger than average (before the impact of the credit crunch). At a more local level still there are some stark statistics and inequalities shown by the following: For Moss Bay in Allerdale (which also has the lowest life expectancy in Cumbria), 36.6% of people are claiming out of work benefits. For Sandwith in Copeland the figure is 33.9% of people claiming out of work benefits. 11

12 Children and young people Approximately 15,000 children under 16 live in income deprived households in Cumbria. The January 2009 school census shows 11.2% of our school children are eligible for free-school meals, taken up by 9.6%. At district level, take up is: Barrow 16.9% with 14.5% take-up Copeland 15.8% with 13.3% take-up Allerdale 12% with 10.2% take-up Carlisle 11.6% with 10% take-up* South Lakeland 5.4% with 4.8% take-up Eden 5.4% with 4.8% take-up (* This doesn t include data from the new Academies at this stage) Lone parents are frequently at increased risk of living on low incomes. Information from the 2001 Census shows that 20,760 children in Cumbria live in one parent family households that s one in five of all children. In Copeland nearly 1 in 4 children live in one-parent families. Finally 14.6% of all dependent children live in households where no one works rising to just over 1 in 5 of children in Barrow, compared with 17.4% in England overall. 12

13 Health and well-being Cumbria s health and well-being strategy contains a wealth of relevant information on health inequalities across the county. Poor health can be both a cause of poverty through limiting long-term illness restricting incomes, as well as a consequence where for example fuel poverty may be linked to increased mortality during colder weather. Some key indicators, relevant to the Anti-Poverty Strategy are: Life expectancy across the county differs by up to 20 years from the shortest of 71.8 years (Moss Bay, Allerdale) to the longest of 91.3 years (Greystoke, Eden) If every district in the county experienced the life expectancy average for South Lakeland, 340 lives would be saved per annum This inequality is widening with the gap in years between best and worst districts getting larger between 1993 and 2005 Long-term limiting illnesses have a massive potential impact on income. 1 in 5 Cumbrians reported a long-term condition in 2001 Census, more than the 18% for England, rising to 1 in 4 for Barrow Reducing teenage conception rates is key to improving participation of young women in education, training and work. Current rates in Copeland (49.8 per 1000), Carlisle (48.1 per 1000) and Barrow (44.7 per 1000) are above the English average, although Cumbria as a whole is below the national rate Low birth weights are another useful indicator of poverty and low incomes amongst expectant mothers and families. Although the percentage of Cumbria underweight births (6.6%) is below the English average (7.5%), levels in Allerdale (7.2%), Barrow (7%) and Carlisle (7.2%) are close Conversely Childhood Obesity is an indication of poor diet which has close correlation with low income levels. Cumbria survey results show 10.1% of reception children are obese (including 14% of boys in Carlisle) above the English average of 9.6%. By Year 6 this has risen to 15.5% of children (including 24% of boys in Copeland) against an English average of 16.8% 13

14 Fuel poverty Information of householders living in fuel poverty gives a good indication of people whose low incomes are having a direct impact on their well-being. Information on fuel poverty levels is calculated using information on housing conditions, and the census. This shows 6.8% of Cumbria households in fuel poverty 14,302 in total, higher than the English average of 6.1%. Highest levels of fuel poverty are in rural parts of Eden and the urban parts of Barrow. This is reflected in the excess number of people dying in the county during the winter (calculated by comparing winter deaths and summer deaths). This again shows Cumbria worse off than the UK as a whole, with 298 extra winter deaths in the winter of , 17% more than would be expected, compared with England and Wales having 15.1% more deaths. 14

15 Conclusions This initial analysis from published sources tells us that low incomes are a fact of life for people living in all parts of Cumbria rural and urban, for families, older adults and young people. The reality is that wherever someone has to live in poverty, their experience is of limited access to life s essentials heat, transport, healthy food and perhaps most importantly their opportunities to increase prosperity. Poverty has an impact on their social life and on their overall quality of life. The long-term effects on health are becoming clearer. This analysis challenges the sometimes expressed national perception that Cumbria is a chocolate box idyll. Figures which are averaged out at a countywide level suggest the county is reasonably well placed nationally and regionally. Dig deeper however and it s clear that families and communities living across the county are facing daily challenges caused by life on a low income. We need to do more work to understand the impact low wages and experience of living on benefits has. Where poverty and low incomes are geographically concentrated we need to use this understanding to target services effectively to respond to needs. Where poverty is more dispersed and experienced by individuals and families, we need to understand how that isolation can exacerbate the situation and respond with more a flexible service. This strategy, and the action plan being developed to accompany it clearly set out the county council s commitment to address this issue. It will be the basis for future decision making, influence our work with key partner organisations and initiate research to help us understand more, and to keep the fast changing situation under review as the economic recession impacts on life in Cumbria

16 16 3. The council s role in tackling poverty

17 The county council has a unique opportunity to tackle poverty and low incomes in Cumbria through: The services we directly provide and commission Our role as Cumbria s second largest employer Our support for economic development Lobbying and influencing others as the democratically accountable voice for Cumbria The accompanying action plan directs our work across this range of activity with a mix of immediate actions like making sure people have access to affordable finance through Credit Unions, as well as longer-term commitments like ensuring our regeneration priorities focus on improving prospects for those on lowest incomes and strengthening Cumbria s economy, creating jobs and opportunities. This section defines the outcomes we re committed to and provides a checklist against which all future policy for the council will be evaluated. 1) To identify and understand the issues facing vulnerable and harder to reach groups living in Cumbria who have a low income Ensure all consultation has to consider how to ensure the voice of people on low incomes will be heard and be influential Expect all services to consult regularly with people on low incomes and reflect the findings in what we do Improve our understanding of who uses our discretionary services e.g. libraries and how to maximise their value for people on low incomes Commission the Cumbria Intelligence Observatory to evaluate and keep under review the nature and extent of poverty in Cumbria 2) To improve and promote advice, information and support for those people living on low incomes who are at risk of being in poverty Ensure council tax is as affordable and that payment methods are as flexible as possible Work with district councils to ensure debt collection is fair, proportionate and linked with support and advice Ensure all charging policies for our goods and services fairly reflect ability to pay Sensitively develop discounted or free access to services which can improve the quality of life for people on low incomes 3) To develop and deliver affordable and accessible key services for those people having a low income Ensure all our frontline staff have the basic knowledge and skills to signpost to expert advice and support for people experiencing poverty Increase access, including for our own staff, to affordable and manageable financial services like credit unions 17

18 Raise awareness in communities of options to alleviate debt and poverty Actively promote all free council services, ensuring people on low incomes benefit as much as possible what is already available Maximise people s incomes through comprehensive and targeted benefit take up campaigns and prompt, sensitive and accurate distribution of benefits administered by the council Prosecute and campaign against those preying on people on low incomes including loan sharks, get rich quick schemes, door-to-door sellers and rogue traders 4) To provide appropriate and timely resources to those groups at greatest risk of being in poverty Maximise the value people in poverty gain from key council services like children s centres which target places in greatest need Prioritise service improvements which are affordably accessible to people living in areas with the greatest concentration of social needs Prioritise the deployment of our discretionary grants e.g. by neighbourhood forums, on projects which can clearly demonstrate how they address the issues raised in this strategy 5) To support those groups having a low income to get out and stay out of poverty Ensure regeneration programmes prioritise actions which create opportunities and can sustainably increase incomes for people getting out of poverty Co-ordinate support when major job losses are announced helping those affected tackle the changes facing them fast Maximise employment opportunities and long-term training and development options in the council for people on low incomes Help local groups set up co-operative ventures ensuring affordable access to key services and facilities 6) To promote a coordinated approach for tackling poverty in Cumbria through robust partnership working Influence utility companies to deliver affordable warmth, water and energy e.g. preventing meter payments Secure lower energy bills, tackling fuel poverty Use evidence on levels of deprivation and incomes in the county to argue for fair allocation of EU, national and regional resources Campaign for and directly help fund affordable public transport which prioritise the needs of journey to work and training, to key services and facilities for people on low incomes 18