HUNGRY kids beg their local chippies for leftovers and growing piles of rubbish litter the streets in the UK’s child poverty capital.
For many residents of Britain’s second biggest city, working longer hours just to feed their families and using food banks is the norm.
Roland LeonLitter piles up around Ladywood in Birmingham[/caption]
Roland LeonThe inner-city district was ranked one of the worst areas in the UK for child poverty[/caption]
By 2029, it is estimated that almost one in three children in England will be below the breadline.
Fresh findings ranked the West Midlands first for its poverty levels across the board at 27 per cent.
And certain areas of Birmingham have 55 per cent of kids living under the poverty line, according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
The Sun went out to the city’s three hardest hit areas – Hall Green, Ladywood and Moseley – to find out what locals made of the findings.
In Ladywood, the sign on the side door of the community centre building reads: “Better days ahead”.
But the door is now bolted, trash is piling up all around and whoever wrote the sign didn’t have this in mind.
No one living in the shadow of the tower blocks dominating the skyline feels like they are living in those “better days”.
Shak, 25, comes from a family of chip shop owners.
His father brought up seven kids on the money the small chain of shops brought in – but things are very different now.
“It breaks my heart,” said Shak. “Children come in asking for leftovers at night.
“I tell them to come back at 10.30 and I give them everything I can. I cannot see people go hungry.
“I am not surprised this area is one of the worst. There is too much poverty.
“Mums come in with three or four kids and can only afford a bag of chips to share. The kids want burgers but they can’t afford it.
“It is getting worse. A lot of the people are single parents and its hard surviving off one wage these days.
“My own missus works as well. We are doing well compared to other people but it’s tough.”
‘I hope this place survives’
Echoing Shak’s observations, the report found 66 per cent of children living in poverty had at least one working parent.
As well as rising prices, Birmingham has witnessed deep cuts to public services with the City Council declaring itself bankrupt last year.
Cleaner Lindsay Hudson, 59, said: “They have recently put the prices up for buses and I think we are now dearer than London.
“The Council have gone bust and they are trying to get their money back.”
She was talking in the Ladywood Community Project that allows locals to hire everything from lawn mowers to carpet cleaners for free.
Roland LeonFish and chip shop worker Shak, 25, said seeing kids go hungry breaks his heart[/caption]
Roland LeonLadywood locals said despite working full time it’s still a struggle to pay rent[/caption]
Roland LeonLesley, 82, from Kings Heath, said a lot of work in the area has dried up[/caption]
“I hope this place survives the cuts,” she said. “We have so many food banks round here which shows what a struggle it is for some folk.
“My daughter works as a civil servant but she’s privately renting and despite working full-time, she finds it a struggle.”
Margaret Murray, who helps out at a waste reduction project which also gives out food parcels once a week, said: “We find a lot of people needing help with school uniforms and around Christmas time.
“We help out parents by giving them stuff that they can give to their kids because we don’t want the children to feel stigmatised. Things are difficult everywhere.”
But others were shocked to hear that districts in Birmingham had such high rates of child poverty.
The Joseph Rowntree Report states 22 per cent of people in the UK are living in poverty but this number more doubles for children in some of Birmingham’s most deprived regions.
Lesley, 82, waiting for a bus in Kings Heath, which is part of the Hall Green constituency where child poverty rates are said to be 55 per cent, said: “How amazing, I wouldn’t expect that.
“Years ago it was not like that at all round here. We probably have too many migrants. A lot of people have been imported into this area.
“They probably come for the car factories but a lot of that work has gone now so we are looking after them.”
Fleeced by landlords
Wendy, 77, a mother of four, was sceptical of the report’s claims.
She said: “I do wonder because I see mums all having their nails done and with expensive mobile phones.
“It may be poverty for the kids but not for a lot of parents. I dare say there’ll be eating out and having new clothes and people aren’t good at budgeting.
“If you are living on limited means you have to be clever planning your meals. I made my children’s clothes.
“Look, if you can’t afford them, don’t have them. I think all the support there is out there does turn some people into scroungers.”
Roland LeonNot all residents agreed with the report – one of them being mum-of-four Wendy[/caption]
Roland LeonA sign on the bolted side door of a community centre in Ladywood[/caption]
Roland LeonLadywood resident Lindsay Hudson, 59, said her area was dependent on food banks[/caption]
Mr Grant, 55, a warehouse operative, added: “I have a food bank near me and I do wonder when I see people turning up in cars so flash they must be on hire agreements.
“I would also wager that my next door neighbour who has four kids and claims benefits, is probably better off than me.
“I think this country is a bit soft with the benefits but it’s also poor pay.
“If you are on the minimum wage, you stand no chance of getting on the housing ladder and you are being fleeced by landlords. It’s hard.”
Pushed over the edge
Retired teacher Ngozi, 72, said: “I don’t understand why people who are working cannot afford food.
“The cost of rent and living are all having an impact. I think things will get worse before they get any better.”
Another teacher, Kayleigh Shaw, 38, a mum-of-two, added: “There are children in my school that I know are using food banks.
“We had some children off school because they had been poisoned by the food they got from the food bank.
“People were just about okay but the last few years – the increase in energy costs and food, have pushed them over the edge.”
Illustrating the point about the problems faced by families, ground worker George said that his new baby would probably be part of the 55 per cent “living in poverty”.
“Work does not pay, it’s that simple,” he said.
“I would get up at 4am, get a bus to Birmingham International, walk 20 minutes and start at 7. I’d generally be home by 8pm.
“That brings in £1,700-a-month but with rent, council tax, gas, electricity, food bills, things are very tight.
“I’m guessing my son, who was born last year, would be one of those 55 per cent of kids who are in poverty despite having a working parent.
“My wife is also relying on me because we can’t afford childcare.
“In London, they’ve made it so children up to 16 travel for free. That helps low income families but not in Birmingham.”
A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said: “No child should live in poverty – be that in Birmingham or anywhere else in the UK.
“That’s why we’re working to ensure every child gets the best start in life as part of our Plan for Change.
“We’re already increasing the Living Wage, uprating benefits and supporting 700,000 of the poorest families by introducing a Fair Repayment Rate on Universal Credit deductions, lifting families out of poverty and making everyone better off.”
The Sun has reached out to the Department of Education for a comment.
A response from Birmingham Council
A spokesperson for Birmingham Council said:
“The drivers and causes of child poverty are complex, and preventing child poverty cannot be tackled by one organisation alone. We are working with our regional partners, central government and a range of voluntary community organisations to improve the life chances of children in Birmingham, to create jobs, build support networks and to provide initiatives of support where needed.
“One initiative we are working on is automatically enrolling children who are eligible for free school meals. The change would immediately benefit more than 2,300 children from the city’s poorest households.
“School holidays can be a more expensive time for families. To help out, we run Bring it on Brum for thousands of young people who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals. During the school holidays, Bring it on Brum lets young people and families attend free clubs to socialise, have fun, and enjoy a meal.
“Through the Household Support Fund, we have used £3.3m to support vulnerable families with rising food costs, to buy clothes, and pay for transport.
“Our Warm Welcome network of over 300 warm spaces provides warmth and company for up to 60,000 people per week. Over the last two years, Warm Welcome spaces have been provided with grant funding to purchase supplies and equipment, run activities, and pay their own energy bills as well as providing crisis payments for users.
“To help with the cost of energy, we have collaborated with the private sector and the Local Welfare Provision team, over £500k of energy top ups were distributed to thousands of households in 2004.
“Ensuring that citizens can access jobs which pay a wage that affords a good basic standard of living lifts children out of poverty. For this reason, we have been paying the Living Wage to all employees since 2012, and we’ve always been ambitious to see employers across the city do the same.
“We will continue to work with the West Midlands Combined Authority to deliver investment into transport, homes, and business premises, which will help to grow the local economy and provide routes into employment for families living in poverty.”
Roland LeonRetired teacher Ngozi is worried things will get worse before they get better[/caption]
Roland LeonChild poverty rates are said to be 55 per cent in Halls Green[/caption]
Andrew FoxA couple of miles from Ladywood is Aston which has one of the city’s highest crime rates[/caption]
Roland LeonAs well as rising prices, Birmingham has witnessed deep cuts to public services[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
