VOTE: Talk to tackle Littlehampton child poverty

An estimated 4,267 children in the district are growing up in poverty, says Arun District Council, with more than a third of the children in Littlehampton’s Ham ward said to be living in destitution – one of the highest figures in the UK.

The conference, hosted by the district council and Arun Local Strategic Partnership will bring together a number of local and regional organisations.

Together, they will examine local issues in a bid to raise awareness of the startling level of poverty faced by vast swaths of the district’s young people. The conference will also highlight good practice and inspire new and innovative ways of tackling the issue.

Nigel Lynn, Arun District Council’s chief executive, said driving down the levels of poverty was an “urgent” and “pressing priority”.

Mr Lynn said: “Child poverty is about more than just income alone and no single organisation can tackle the wide-ranging causes and consequences.

“This conference has been called in response to the recent West Sussex child poverty strategy. It will bring together relevant local and regional bodies and expertise that will provide a forum for both in-depth discussion and to develop new proposals to tackle child poverty in Arun.
“This conference will lead us towards drafting an action plan which will make a real difference to the families who are currently living in poverty.
Fighting child poverty is a huge and complex challenge and we see this as an urgent and pressing priority.”

A child is considered to be in relative poverty if he or she lives in a household whose income is below 60 per cent of the average in that year, and in absolute poverty if they live in a household whose real-terms income is below 60 per cent of the 2010/11 average – a period set as a benchmark by the Child Poverty Act.
Figures released by The Campaign to End Child Poverty, at the start of the year, revealed that 34 per cent of youngsters in Ham ward were affected while 26 per cent in neighbouring River ward classed as impoverished.

Monday’s conference will bring together members from public sector organisations, employers, voluntary groups, academics and residents in an effort to shape solutions to child poverty in Arun.
Romy Jones, chairman of Arun’s Local Strategic Partnership, said: “This conference is a first step in brokering those relationships and fostering the co-ordinated action needed to successfully tackle child poverty.”

The conference is being held at Butlin’s conference centre in Bognor Regis. To attend, call Caroline Gosford on 01903 737854.

What do you think?

Is enough being done to tackle child poverty in Littlehampton? Cast your vote in the poll to the right of the screen and leave your comments below.