Children living in low income families in Kent

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1 Business Intelligence Statistical Bulletin November 2016 Children living in low income families in Kent Related documents Family Poverty Strategy Supporting Evidence - national data sets which have been used to inform this strategy Indices of Deprivation looks at see how Kent's levels of deprivation (and areas within Kent) compare to other parts of England NOTE: within this bulletin Kent refers to the Kent County Council (KCC) area which excludes Medway. Further information Strategic Business Development & Intelligence Kent County Council Sessions House Maidstone Kent ME14 1XX research@kent.gov.uk Tel: This bulletin looks at the number of children living in low income families in Kent. This measure provides a broad proxy for lowincome child poverty. Data is presented for the Kent County Council area as at August 2014 and provides national and regional comparisons. Summary Using the Children in Low-Income Families Local Measure 17.9% of children (57,630 children) in Kent are living in poverty. This is above the regional average of 14.4% but below the England average of 19.9%. Child poverty has increased in Kent by 8.1% since last year (4,335 more children living in poverty). More than a quarter (26.9%) of the children living in poverty in Kent, live in two districts - Thanet and Swale. Thanet has the highest child poverty rate in the county at 26.9% (8,160 children). It has the second highest child poverty rate in the South East Region and is within the top 20% of districts with the highest levels of child poverty in the country. Almost two thirds (64.2%) of the children in poverty in Kent are aged ten and under. One in five children under the age of five (21.7%) in Kent are living in poverty. Almost two thirds of children (65.6%) in poverty in Kent are living with a lone parent. Just over a third of children (34.1%) living in poverty in Kent are in a family with two children.

2 Children in Low-Income Families Local Measure Previously known as the Revised Local Child Poverty Measure or National Indicator 116, the Children in Low-Income Families Local Measure used in this bulletin shows the proportion of children living in families in receipt of outof-work (means-tested) benefits or in receipt of tax credits where their reported income is less than 60 per cent of UK median income. For families of varying sizes the low income threshold was worth: 170 per week for single adult with no dependent children; 253 per week for a couple with no dependent children; 304 per week for a single adult with two dependent children aged 5 to 14; and 387 per week for a couple with two dependent children aged 5 to 14. These sums of money are measured after income tax, council tax and housing costs have been deducted, where housing costs include rents, mortgage interest (but not the repayment of principal), buildings insurance and water charges. They therefore represent what the household has available to spend on everything else it needs, from food and heating to travel and entertainment. (Source: Personal tax credits: Children in low-income families local measure: 2014 snapshot as at 31 August 2014, HMRC) The number of children in the area is determined by Child Benefit data. Child Benefit is payable to a person who is responsible for a child under the age of 16, but can continue after the age of 16 if the child remains in full time education or starts an approved training course, and may continue up to the child s 20 th birthday providing these criteria are met. Low income child poverty figures are shown as the proportion of children up to the age of 16 and as the proportion of all children (up to the age of 20 for whom child benefit is paid). This calculation attempts to recreate the relative child poverty measure as set out in the Child Poverty Act 2010 at a local level. However as it relies on administrative data it is not precisely equivalent in terms of the children captured (for example there may be children in families in receipt of out of work benefits where income is above the 60 per cent threshold) or the time period covered (the national measure is on a financial year basis). This measure is a snapshot at 31st August Figures are produced by Her Majesty s Revenue and Customs and represent a snap shot in time. For more information on how this indicator is measured please see Children in Low Income Families; Local Measure Commentary 2014 Page 1

3 Other child poverty figures The Households Below Average Income (HBAI) publication from the Department of Work and Pensions, provides the definitive national measure of relative child poverty as set out in the Child Poverty Act 2010.This HBAI measure is calculated as the number of children living in families in receipt of Child Tax Credit whose reported income is less than 60% of the median income or in receipt of Income Support or (Income-Based) Jobseekers Allowance, divided by the total number of children in the area. Further information about the HBAI measure can be found here There is an additional proxy of child poverty at local level from the Department for Work and Pensions. The local child poverty proxy measure uses annual data on the numbers of children living in households where a parent or guardian claims out-of-work benefits. Since it uses administrative benefits data to estimate the proportion of children in poverty, this measure is similar to the Children in Low-income Families Statistics. However, it is less sophisticated as it only counts those children who are in households that receive an out-of-work benefit and does not take into account the households income. Therefore, this measure does not provide as good a proxy of child poverty across the UK. Further information about this measure can be found here The Children in Low-income Families Statistics only focus on a family s income as a measure of poverty. Looking at relative income in isolation does not provide a comprehensive picture of poverty. However, there are broader measures of child poverty that also take into account key factors related to child poverty beyond a family s income. The Child Poverty Basket of Local Indicators, produced by the Child Poverty Unit, provides local authorities with a range of local level statistics which identify key indicators of child poverty beyond a family s income. For example indicators related to work, educational attainment, health and other indicators of disadvantage are included in the basket. These can be found here Page 2

4 Kent, 17.9% Child Poverty in Kent 57,630 children in Kent are living in poverty as at August 2014, equivalent to 17.9% of the children in the county. While this is below the national level (19.9%) it is higher than the average for the South East Region (14.4%). Chart 1 shows that, compared to other counties and unitary authorities in England Kent is within the 40% of counties and unitaries with the lowest levels of child poverty. Chart 1: Child poverty quintiles in counties and unitary authorities in England, % 40.0% 35.0% 30.0% Child poverty in counties and unitary authorities in England, 2014 Presented by: Research & Evaluation, Kent County Council 20% highest child poverty 60-80% 40-60% 20-40% 25.0% 20% lowest child poverty England average, 18.6% 20.0% 15.0% 10.0% 5.0% 0.0% While the level of child poverty in the county as a whole is within the lowest 40% in the country there is wide variation at district level. Chart 2 shows that when compared to other local authorities in the country the twelve Kent districts are fairly spread with some levels of high poverty and some areas of fairly low child poverty. Tunbridge Wells district is within the lowest 20% in the country (where 11.4% or less children are living in poverty) and Thanet is within the 20% of districts in England with the highest levels of child poverty (those where 23.1% or more children are living in poverty). Page 3

5 Swale, 23.0% Dover, 22.2% Shepway, 21.6% Gravesham, 19.2% Canterbury, 17.8% Ashford, 16.6% Dartford, 15.7% Maidstone, 14.8% Sevenoaks, 12.8% Tonbridge and Malling, 12.7% Tunbridge Wells, 10.7% Thanet, 26.9% Swale Dover Shepway Gravesham Canterbury Ashford Dartford Maidstone Sevenoaks Tonbridge and Malling Tunbridge Wells Thanet Chart 2: Child poverty in local authority districts in England, % 40.0% Child poverty in local authorities in England, 2014 Presented by: Research & Evaluation, Kent County Council 20% highest child poverty 35.0% 60-80% 40-60% 30.0% 20-40% 20% lowest child poverty 25.0% England average, 20.1% 20.0% 15.0% 10.0% 5.0% 0.0% When compared to other local authorities within the South East, Kent districts have some of the highest levels of child poverty in the region. Five Kent districts (Thanet, Swale, Shepway, Dover and Gravesham) are within the 20% in the South East with the highest levels of child poverty. Thanet district has the second highest proportion of children living in poverty in the region at 26.9%. This is shown in chart 3. Chart 3: Child poverty in local authority districts in the South East Region, % Child poverty in local authorities in the South East, 2014 Presented by: Research & Evaluation, Kent County Council 25.0% 20.0% 15.0% 10.0% 20% highest child poverty 60-80% 40-60% 20-40% 20% lowest child poverty Kent Districts England average 5.0% 0.0% Page 4

6 Thanet and Swale districts have the highest levels of child in poverty in Kent. Between them they account for more than a quarter (26.9%) of all children living in poverty within the county. 26.9% of all children are classed as living in poverty in Thanet (8,160 children) and 23.0% in Swale (7,350 children). This is shown in table 1. Table 1: Proportion of children who are living in poverty, 2014 Children in families in receipt of CTC (<60% median income) or IS/JSA % of Children who are in "Poverty" Under 16 All Children Under 16 All Children Ashford 4,180 4, % 16.6% Canterbury 4,245 4, % 17.8% Dartford 3,280 3, % 15.7% Dover 4,380 5, % 22.2% Gravesham 4,085 4, % 19.2% Maidstone 4,455 5, % 14.8% Sevenoaks 2,840 3, % 12.8% Shepway 4,070 4, % 21.6% Swale 6,440 7, % 23.0% Thanet 7,150 8, % 26.9% Tonbridge and Malling 3,085 3, % 12.7% Tunbridge Wells 2,295 2, % 10.7% Kent 50,505 57, % 17.9% Medway 11,565 13, % 20.8% South East 233, , % 14.4% England 2,003,060 2,315, % 19.9% The following map shows the distribution of child poverty in Kent Wards. The 20% of Kent wards with the highest percentage of children living in poverty (equivalent to 23.1% of children and higher) are shown in red. The map shows that levels of higher child poverty are dispersed across the county with higher concentrations in nearly all of the major towns. There is a significant concentration within the coastal towns and on the Isle of Sheppey. The west of the county has a comparatively lower proportion of children living in low income families. Page 5

7 Map 1: Child poverty in Kent Wards, of the 23 wards in Thanet (equivalent to 39.1% of Thanet wards) are within the 20% in Kent with highest levels of child poverty. Almost a third (31.6%) of the wards in the Kent area with the highest levels of child poverty are in Thanet and Swale. Table 2 shows the number of wards in each district within each Kent quintile and table 3 shows the proportion of each Kent quintile that these wards account for. Table 2: Number of wards within Kent quintiles in each district, % lowest child poverty 20-40% 40-60% 60-80% 20% highest child poverty Ashford Canterbury Dartford Dover Gravesham Maidstone Sevenoaks Shepway Swale Thanet Tonbridge & Malling Tunbridge Wells Page 6

8 Table 3: Percentage of Kent quintiles within each district, % lowest child poverty 20-40% 40-60% 60-80% 20% highest child poverty Ashford 6.9% 20.0% 15.8% 10.7% 8.8% Canterbury 6.9% 9.1% 7.0% 14.3% 5.3% Dartford 6.9% 7.3% 1.8% 7.1% 7.0% Dover 3.4% 5.5% 7.0% 8.9% 12.3% Gravesham 10.3% 1.8% 5.3% 7.1% 7.0% Maidstone 12.1% 7.3% 17.5% 1.8% 7.0% Sevenoaks 12.1% 16.4% 8.8% 5.4% 3.5% Shepway 3.4% 7.3% 5.3% 12.5% 10.5% Swale 1.7% 3.6% 10.5% 12.5% 15.8% Thanet 1.7% 7.3% 3.5% 12.5% 15.8% Tonbridge and Malling 15.5% 10.9% 8.8% 5.4% 5.3% Tunbridge Wells 19.0% 3.6% 8.8% 1.8% 1.8% The top ten wards in Kent with the highest proportion of children living in poverty are shown in table 4. Newington ward in Thanet has the highest proportion of child poverty in Kent with 46.8% of all children. Eight of the top ten wards are in coastal areas, the exception being Northgate in Canterbury and Stanhope in Ashford. Table 4: Top ten wards in Kent with highest percentage child poverty, 2014 Ward Name District Children under 16 All children Newington Thanet 48.4% 46.8% Sheerness East Swale 47.8% 46.7% Sheerness West Swale 44.8% 44.1% Cliftonville West Thanet 45.3% 43.7% Northgate Canterbury 42.9% 41.9% Margate Central Thanet 41.7% 41.4% Stanhope Ashford 41.9% 40.8% Town and Pier Dover 39.9% 38.6% Folkestone East Shepway 40.1% 37.9% Leysdown and Warden Swale 38.2% 37.9% The top ten wards in Kent with the highest actual number of children in poverty are shown in table 5. Cliftonville West in Thanet has the highest number of children in poverty with 1,260 children. Page 7

9 Table 5: Top ten wards in Kent with the highest number of children in poverty, 2014 Ward Name District Children under 16 All children Cliftonville West Thanet 1,165 1,260 Dane Valley Thanet Sheerness East Swale Newington Thanet Sheerness West Swale Northfleet North Gravesham Eastcliff Thanet Riverside Gravesham Margate Central Thanet Park Wood Maidstone Change in children in low income families Overall in Kent child poverty has increased between 2013 and There was an increase of 8.1% in the number of children in poverty in Kent, equivalent to 4,335 children. This was a smaller increase than was seen in the South East as a whole (+8.6%) and nationally (+10.4%). Thanet (+590) and Canterbury (+500) districts saw the biggest increase in children living in low income families in the county. Table 6 shows the change in child poverty since Table 6: Change in the number of children in poverty in Kent, Children in poverty 2013 Children in poverty 2014 Change Percentage Change Under 16 All Children Under 16 All Children Under 16 All Children Under 16 All Children Ashford 3,960 4,415 4,180 4, % 6.9% Canterbury 3,875 4,415 4,245 4, % 11.3% Dartford 3,060 3,400 3,280 3, % 8.4% Dover 4,005 4,535 4,380 5, % 11.1% Gravesham 3,985 4,430 4,085 4, % 4.7% Maidstone 4,100 4,575 4,455 5, % 10.3% Sevenoaks 2,590 2,855 2,840 3, % 12.6% Shepway 4,010 4,585 4,070 4, % 2.9% Swale 6,155 6,880 6,440 7, % 6.8% Thanet 6,725 7,570 7,150 8, % 7.8% Tonbridge and Malling 2,900 3,240 3,085 3, % 8.0% Tunbridge Wells 2,130 2,395 2,295 2, % 10.6% Kent 47,490 53,295 50,505 57,630 3,015 4, % 8.1% Medway 11,085 12,345 11,565 13, % 6.4% South East 219, , , ,150 14,155 21, % 8.6% England 1,854,005 2,097,005 2,003,060 2,315, , , % 10.4% Page 8

10 Children in poverty by age It is possible to look at children in poverty by age group. Chart 4 shows that in Kent almost two thirds of the children living in poverty are aged 10 and under (64.2%). This may be because children in this age group would need formal childcare while parents worked. The cost of childcare may be prohibitive to being able to work, there may be insufficient childcare provision or a lack of flexible jobs allowing parents to work while still providing adequate care for their children. Chart 4: Children living in poverty by age group, 2014 Percentage of children in each age group who are living in poverty in Kent, , % , % , % Age group , % Presented by: Research & Evaluation, Kent County Council Table 7 shows the number and proportion of each age group who are living in low income families as at The table shows that child poverty is highest among those aged 0 to 4 than any of the other age groups. In Kent 21.7% of children aged 0 to 4 (18,560 children) are living in poverty. They account for a third (34.2%) of all children in poverty in the county. Thanet has the highest child poverty rates in the county in all age groups. They are significantly higher than the county, regional and national average. Tunbridge Wells has the lowest proportion of child poverty in all age groups. These are below not only the county average, but the regional and national average as well. Page 9

11 Table 7: Proportion of children in poverty by age group, 2014 Number % of children Ashford 1,485 1,585 1, % 17.0% 14.5% 13.0% Canterbury 1,485 1,580 1, % 17.7% 16.1% 15.3% Dartford 1,295 1, % 15.9% 13.4% 12.8% Dover 1,610 1,600 1, % 22.0% 19.8% 18.6% Gravesham 1,525 1,485 1, % 18.7% 17.9% 15.9% Maidstone 1,745 1,575 1, % 14.4% 12.9% 12.2% Sevenoaks 1,035 1, % 12.5% 11.1% 10.5% Shepway 1,465 1,475 1, % 21.1% 19.8% 18.7% Swale 2,375 2,305 1, % 22.3% 21.6% 19.3% Thanet 2,610 2,590 1,950 1, % 26.6% 25.3% 21.6% Tonbridge and Malling 1,100 1, % 12.3% 11.6% 10.1% Tunbridge Wells % 10.0% 9.6% 9.4% Kent 18,560 18,440 13,500 7, % 17.5% 16.2% 14.9% Medway 4,335 4,160 3,070 1, % 20.4% 19.2% 17.1% South East 53,590 54,250 40,350 22, % 8.8% 8.4% 8.3% England 709, , , , % 19.3% 18.8% 18.6% In Kent children aged 10 and under account for two thirds of all children living in poverty in Kent. Table 8 shows the age breakdown of those children who are living in poverty by age in Kent local authority districts. The table shows that Kent as a whole has a higher proportion of children in poverty in all age groups than both the national and the regional average. Table 8: Age breakdown of children living in poverty, % of all children in poverty Ashford 31.5% 33.6% 23.5% 11.4% Canterbury 30.2% 32.1% 24.1% 13.5% Dartford 35.1% 33.2% 20.5% 11.0% Dover 31.9% 31.7% 23.1% 13.1% Gravesham 32.9% 32.0% 23.2% 11.9% Maidstone 34.6% 31.2% 22.5% 11.7% Sevenoaks 32.2% 33.0% 23.2% 11.7% Shepway 31.0% 31.3% 23.9% 13.8% Swale 32.3% 31.4% 23.9% 12.4% Thanet 32.0% 31.7% 23.9% 12.4% Tonbridge and Malling 31.4% 32.1% 24.6% 11.9% Tunbridge Wells 31.3% 31.5% 23.8% 13.4% Kent 32.2% 32.0% 23.4% 12.4% Medway 6.9% 6.6% 4.9% 2.5% South East 20.1% 20.3% 15.1% 8.3% England 30.7% 31.9% 23.9% 13.5% ; ONS Child Benefit Statistics Page 10

12 Children in poverty by family characteristic Children who are living in poverty are more likely to be living in lone parent households where the potential income is likely to be lower. Chart 5: Children in poverty in Kent by family type, 2014 Children living in poverty by family type in Kent, 2014 Couple 19, % Family type Couple Lone parent 37, % Lone parent Presented by: Research & Evaluation, Kent County Council Chart 5 shows that in Kent 65.6% of children in poverty are living in a lone parent household. This is slightly higher than the national average of 63.3%. 34.4% of children living in poverty in Kent live in a couple household. Table 9 shows the equivalent statistics for each Kent district. Thanet (4,915) and Swale (4,785) have the highest number of children in poverty living in lone parent families in Kent. Almost three quarters (72.0%) of the children living in poverty in Dartford district live in a lone parent family, the highest proportion in Kent. Page 11

13 Table 9: Children in poverty by family type, 2014 Children in poverty Percentage of children in poverty by family type Couple Lone parent Couple Lone parent Ashford 1,595 3, % 66.2% Canterbury 1,640 3, % 66.6% Dartford 1,030 2, % 72.0% Dover 1,995 3, % 60.3% Gravesham 1,585 3, % 65.8% Maidstone 1,625 3, % 67.8% Sevenoaks 950 2, % 70.5% Shepway 1,675 3, % 64.5% Swale 2,565 4, % 65.1% Thanet 3,245 4, % 60.2% Tonbridge and Malling 1,050 2, % 70.0% Tunbridge Wells 865 1, % 67.4% Kent 19,815 37, % 65.6% Medway 4,305 8, % 14.0% South East 59, , % 41.6% England 849,510 1,466, % 63.3% The largest proportion of Kent children living in poverty, live in families with two children. This is shown in chart % of all the children in the county living in poverty live in families with two children. This proportion is slightly higher than the national average of 32.5%. Table 10 shows the number and proportion of children living in poverty by family size at district level. Swale and Thanet districts have the highest number of children in poverty living in larger families, those with four or more children. Maidstone district has a highest proportion of children in poverty living in families with one child in the county (24.5%). This is higher than the average for Kent (22.8%). Page 12

14 Chart 6: Children living in poverty by number of children in the family, 2014 Children living in poverty by family size in Kent, , % 13, % Family size 1 child 2 children 3 children 13, % 19, % 4 or more children Presented by: Research & Evaluation, Kent County Council Table 10: Number of children in poverty by family size, 2014 Number 1 child 2 children 3 children % of children in poverty 4 or more children 1 child 2 children 3 children 4 or more children Ashford 1,010 1,620 1, % 34.3% 23.7% 20.4% Canterbury 1,120 1,680 1,105 1, % 34.2% 22.5% 20.5% Dartford 895 1, % 38.3% 23.5% 14.1% Dover 1,110 1,745 1, % 34.6% 23.8% 19.5% Gravesham 1,010 1,540 1, % 33.2% 24.7% 20.3% Maidstone 1,235 1,720 1, % 34.1% 23.2% 18.2% Sevenoaks 685 1, % 33.9% 26.0% 18.8% Shepway 1,085 1,580 1, % 33.5% 24.0% 19.5% Swale 1,640 2,410 1,760 1, % 32.8% 23.9% 20.9% Thanet 1,900 2,665 1,845 1, % 32.7% 22.6% 21.4% Tonbridge and Malling 805 1, % 34.1% 25.0% 17.9% Tunbridge Wells % 36.6% 23.4% 16.2% Kent 13,120 19,630 13,685 11, % 34.1% 23.7% 19.4% Medway 3,015 4,510 3,190 2, % 7.1% 5.1% 3.8% South East 62,335 90,840 63,260 50, % 34.0% 23.7% 19.0% England 526, , , , % 32.5% 23.8% 21.0% Updates to the data used in this bulletin are due to be released in Autumn Page 13