‘It’s never the child’s fault’: Sunderland steps up fight against poverty

Sunderland City Council’s Labour cabinet, at a meeting this week, agreed the next steps for the local authority’s Child Poverty Strategy 2025 -2028.

A report presented to cabinet said that child poverty remains a “significant challenge at a national, regional and local level” and in the north east, it was noted “rates of child poverty are among the highest in the country which has prompted collaborative, regional action”.

This includes the North East Combined Authority (NECA) establishing a “dedicated child poverty reduction unit to lead strategic efforts, support local authorities, and drive innovation in tackling the root causes of poverty affecting children and families.”

At a meeting on Thursday (October 16, 2025), Sunderland City Council’s cabinet of senior councillors agreed the next steps for the council’s first ever Child Poverty Strategy, entitled “Children and Families Thriving in Sunderland.”

This included a “consultative draft” of the plan being sent to the council’s relevant scrutiny committee and other “relevant stakeholders”, with a final draft Child Poverty Strategy and associated delivery plan expected to return to cabinet later this year.

Sunderland City Council said child poverty remains a significant issue in the city and across the region, with “many families facing daily struggles to meet needs and opportunities.”

The local authority said this can include children missing out on school trips and digital access, to issues linked to poor housing and limited transport.

It is estimated that around a third (31 per cent) of the city’s children are in relative low income families after housing costs, and around a third of children also receive free school meals.

The key aim of the new council Child Poverty Strategy aims to ensure that every Sunderland child has the opportunity to thrive, regardless of their background or circumstances, in line with the regional child poverty reduction unit.

A report on the strategy was presented to Thursday’s cabinet meeting at City Hall by councillor Michael Butler, cabinet member for children’s services, child poverty and skills.

Cllr Butler, who launched a full council motion back in September, 2024, highlighting the “persistent levels” of childhood poverty within the city and steps to improve lives for future generations, said the new strategy aimed to make a real difference.

The Labour councillor thanked council officers and Together for Children colleagues for their work on the strategy and also thanked the working group members “from all areas of the city” who helped to develop the plan.

“It’s an important vehicle to try and address this challenge and we’re under no illusion that this isn’t going to be solved overnight or by the council themselves,” Cllr Butler added.

“When you look at some of the wards including the ward that I represent (Southwick), there’s two thirds of children living in poverty, not the average one third, so this is very specific to some of those wards as well and we will be looking forward to targeting those areas.

“This has been developed by the people and it’s for the people and I have spoken personally to children, staff and parents across the city and the really sad thing is that many of the children don’t realise they live in poverty, it’s completely normalised for them.

“That was important for me to get out there and listen to them directly, I’m somebody who did live in poverty and I think it’s important to understand it from that perspective.

“But things have changed in 30 years, some of the opportunities I got back in the 1990s and the early 2000s are no longer there.

“We do welcome feedback from all members and we’re looking forward to this coming before scrutiny and I will be in attendance to try and answer any questions that I can.

“I will end on this, it really doesn’t matter what the causes of childhood poverty are, it’s never the child’s fault.”

The council’s Child Poverty Strategy sets out a vision for Sunderland where “no one lives in poverty or is forced to choose between essentials like heating and eating” and where “every child, family, and resident can achieve their potential, free from the stress and limitations that poverty brings”.

It also states that “tackling poverty is a shared responsibility, and everyone in our city has a role to play.”

Actions outlined in the strategy include creating more secure, well-paid work, improving access to affordable childcare and ensuring families can access local welfare support when needed.

In line with national Government, the city has already opened five new Family Hubs in recent years that offer support with parenting classes, play groups, health and wellbeing advice, plus education and employment support.

Cllr Butler said the new council Child Poverty Strategy is “not the start of our work” and that the strategy sets out that “a lot of good work is already taking place across a range of service areas where we’re helping create better opportunities and life chances for our young people and their families”.

He said that “poverty is not just about money” but about “opportunity, wellbeing, and dignity” and that changes were needed around “childcare, transport, the ever increasing costs of food, clothing, energy and other essentials, the difficulty of some to access financial and other support, and also of the stigma associated with living in poverty”.

The senior councillor added the draft strategy “has been about listening to families [and] understanding their lived experiences” to help make the council’s next steps as “practical and impactful as possible”.

It was noted that tackling childhood poverty requires a “city-wide commitment”, with the council working with others locally, regionally and nationally, to “ensure every child has the chance to succeed.”

Councillor Kelly Chequer, deputy leader of Sunderland City Council and cabinet member for health, wellbeing and safer communities, described the Child Poverty Strategy as a “hugely momentous item”.

“I think it’s fair to say that when this cabinet formed last year we set a very ambitious challenge in relation to reducing child poverty and ensuring that young people’s backgrounds do not determine their future success,” she said.

“To bring this forward in the time frame that you have working with our partners is phenomenal, it’s testament to the commitment of this cause by this council, this cabinet and ultimately, by this Labour leadership.

“I’m very pleased to see this come forward and look forward to seeing it develop as we move forward through into the final phases […] I know how much dedication and commitment there is to this and I’m sure that this will be the start of us helping families and future generations.”

The draft Child Poverty Strategy report can be viewed by visiting Sunderland City Council’s website here: Draft Child Poverty Strategy 2025 – 2028.