New figures from End Child Poverty reveal a staggering 38,928 children in Sheffield are living in poverty – up by 3774 since 2015.

At Sheffield City Council’s March 2023 Budget meeting, Labour Councillors proposed establishing a £1.4m neighbourhood investment fund, designed to support communities and help lift struggling families out of poverty. This budget amendment was voted down by Liberal Democrat, Tory and Green Councillors present at the meeting.

Responding to the recent figures, Labour’s Cllr Dawn Dale, Chair Education, Children and Families Policy Committee. said,

“The Conservatives crashed the economy – pushing mortgages and rents through the roof – and it’s no surprise that child poverty figures are soaring too as the cost-of-living crisis deepens.

 “These aren’t just devastating statistics – they are real lives held back before they have even begun. Britain should be better than this. 

 “Families in Sheffield need a government with a plan. Labour would build a better Britain by making high growth a driving mission of the next Government with good jobs and productivity rising in every part of our country.”

ENDS

Dawn Dale is a Labour and Co-operative Councillor for Shiregreen and Brightside, and is the Chair of Sheffield City Council’s Education, Children and Families Policy Committee.

The efforts of Sheffield Labour Councillors saw 31,000 free school meals vouchers to children during the school holidays over the last municipal year.[1]

Every year the End Child Poverty Coalition, together with the Centre for Research in Social Policy at Loughborough University, publishes data on the number of children living in poverty after housing costs, in each Westminster Constituency and Local Authority across the UK.

The full figures can be found here: https://endchildpoverty.org.uk/child-poverty/

Across the UK 4.2m children are now living in poverty – up 400,000 since 2015