NEWS FOCUS: Charities warn Covid has worsened situation, with more families in need
ONE-IN-SIX children in the borough is living in poverty, according to the latest statistics. And charities say the pandemic has made the situation even bleaker.
According to Loughborough University, the number of children living in poverty in Wokingham has risen from 5,178 in 2014/15 to 5,649 in 2018/19.
Between 2018 and 2019, there were 3,337 children living in relative poverty across the borough, according to data from Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
This is where a household earns approximately £195 a week for a single parent with two children.
But research from Loughborough University that factors in housing costs brings to total to 5,649 during the same time period.
‘The council is not complacent’
Despite the increasing numbers, Cllr UllaKarin Clark, executive member for children’s services at Wokingham Borough Council, said the area has the lowest rate in Berkshire and one of the lowest in the country.
She told Wokingham.Today: “We are not complacent and as the demographics of our residents change we continue to strengthen the monitoring and scrutiny of long-term indicators related to child poverty and mobilise our services to best meet the needs of vulnerable children.
“This will help us address the pockets of deprivation which exist in our communities and the impact deprivation has on our children and young people.”
‘The types of families in need has changed’
Charities across the borough say the situation has worsened, with the types of families in need of support changing drastically.
Emma Cantrell, founder of First Days Childrens’ Charity in Hurst said she is not surprised by the historical data.
“I think that the trajectory will become harsher once the data appears for the year we’ve just had,” she said. “We’ve seen a change in the type of support that people need — a lot more people are coming to us in need of beds and mattresses.
“We always hear of some children sleeping on the floor, but the number without beds is rising.
“This could be due to a variety of additional needs. Beds getting broken, mattresses ruined when children struggle to stay dry in the night.”
She added: “The situation is becoming more bleak. Shocking situations are becoming the norm. Child poverty has been increasing for years and its setting deeper into family life.
“If a child needs a bigger bed, or grows out of their school uniform — there’s just no money.”
And coronavirus has tightened family budgets as thousands of workers found themselves furloughed during lockdown.
“Uniquely to the pandemic, we’re supporting more families who have never needed to contact a charity before,” Ms Cantrell said. “Lots of people live on 100% of their income. Even on furlough, families have had to find a way to spend 20% less.
More families collecting foodbank parcels than ever before
Annette Medhurst, manager of Wokingham Foodbank said that more families were collecting food parcels than ever before.
“At the start of the pandemic, lots of schools contacted us asking to become referring agents,” she said. “There was a flurry of activity from local schools wanting to get on our books.
“The government issued vouchers for families on free school meals, but £15 a week for a child isn’t a lot — children eat a lot of food when they’re growing.
“And schools were also concerned about separated families.
“They found some mums were struggling to make ends meet if the kids weren’t with dad at the weekend.”
Ms Medhurst also said that a more diverse range of people are being referred to the charity, many who have not needed support before.
“There should be no shame in coming to the foodbank,” she said. “Some people may only come once, others may come for a month while they resolve some issues, and other members of the community may use us more regularly.”
‘There are more people with priority debts: rent, utilities, council tax’
Another charity that has seen the same rise in demand is Citizens Advice.
Sue Cornish, debt advice project manager at the Wokingham branch said she has seen an increase in young families struggling.
She told Wokingham.Today: “We do feel that we’re getting busier. There are lots more people with priority debts — rent, utilities, council tax — and these either end up with bailiffs or being cut off.
“Anecdotally, there are lots of young families with children who tell us they don’t know why the cost of things is increasing.
Ms Cantrell also joined Ms Cornish’s concerns, questioning whether the rising cost of living was a cause for child poverty in Wokingham.
“People are saying their money just isn’t going as far,” Ms Cantrell explained. “They’re buying the same things but struggling more and more.”
Having worked in debt advice for the last 15 years, Ms Cornish said the change from tax credits and housing benefits to Universal Credit may have affected families.
“For those under 25, they can receive a Universal Credit payment of £342.72 per month,” she said. “It’s a small amount to live off. They’ve got to pay for food, utilities, council tax and travel.
“Last week we saw nine debt clients. People are starting to receive red letters or enforcement officers at their home. And it tends to be families that have the most pressure on them.”
She added: “When I first joined Citizens Advice in the 90s, there were more acute issues. People were facing negative equity on their homes. And once those same people got on their feet, they were facing a massive mortgage shortfall on their house. It was hitting specific types of homeowners.
“Now, it’s much more of a chronic challenge, across a huge spectrum of people who we haven’t had to help before.
“Wokingham is an expensive area to live, rent is high.”
Ms Cornish said she feared homeowners may also begin to feel the pressure, with families forced to remortgage their homes or dig into savings to keep afloat.
Cllr Clark said the council works collaboratively with other charities and organisations, including Citizens Advice with the common goal “to give every Wokingham child the best chance to thrive”.
She added: “Our teams work with families across the area, through our Early Help, Health Visiting and School Nursing services, Adult Education, Children’s Centre and Localities teams.
“We are supporting them with the right life, vocational and educational skills to improve their, and their children’s lives.
“The council remains committed to our work with our partners in the voluntary and community sectors to resolve other problems which can lead to child poverty and are affecting resident families.”
Christmas scheme
Currently, the four charities have Christmas at the forefront of their mind.
“In February, we’re expecting to see a rise in debts,” Ms Cornish explained.
“People use their credit cards to do their Christmas shopping in December. The bill arrives in January and they can’t pay it, so the debts start rising by February and March. So we’re trying to prepare for that.”
Hoping to intervene and stop the debts raking up in the most vulnerable families, First Days and Share Wokingham have teamed up with Wokingham Foodbank to create Christmas boxes.
Ms Revie said: “Emma, Annette and I wanted to do something together for Christmas this year.
“We’re going to be working with local supermarkets to provide a Christmas dinner in a box, with some presents too.
“It’s going to be a tough Christmas, so we thought we’d see what we could do to help.”
Ms Medhurst added: “Over Christmas, we are expecting to have a surplus of mince pies, nice biscuits and chocolates – those kinds of things.
“We thought there must be a way to use that and put something special together for families.
“Often when we put requests for biscuits, chocolate, treats and things on our foodbank wishlist, people question the importance of these items, saying they’re not essential.
“But we’re just hoping to make a difficult time that little bit more special.”
And First Days will be coordinating gifts.
Ms Cantrell said: “We’ll be launching a wishlist that people can use to buy gifts for local children. And we’re launching a Christmas Stocking Campaign soon.
“We’re handing out bags, asking people to fill them with Christmas stocking gifts, return them to First Days and we’ll be handing them out to families.
“It’s about making sure that children have a lovely Christmas. It’s the joy of giving — we have lots of that at here.”
Free help and support for all
To access support, residents can contact Citizens Advice on: 0300 330 1189 where a volunteer will help support and signpost people to the right organisation for their needs.
Citizens Advice can also refer residents to the Foodbank for a parcel, and winter fuel top-ups.
Alternatively, residents can visit Share Wokingham at Norreys Church, where no referral is required.
To contact First Days, call: 0118 921 9338 or visit: www.firstdays.net
