News

One in four children in ward living in 'poverty'

By Tim Harris
May 28, 2012

A QUARTER of children living in a Farnborough community are living in poverty a new website has found.

The tool, created by the Church Urban Fund, has been set up to calculate poverty and affluence in communities across the UK.

The Cherrywood ward community in North Farnborough has been identified as having deprivation issues.

The figures show that child poverty stands at 24% in the Cherrywood area, there is 16% pensioner poverty and 15% working age poverty.

The Church Urban Fund figures also show 33% of adults in the area have no qualifications, and 39% live in social housing.

Rushmoor Borough Council said it was aware of the issues in this area of Farnborough, and improvement work is being carried out.

Louise Webber, of Rushmoor Borough Council, said: “As part of our regeneration, we have got the Improving Neighbour-hood, Changing Lives Plan.

“It is a strand of our neighbourhood improvement work.

“The plan was previously for Mayfield and Grange [the former Farnborough wards], but will now move forward with Cherrywood.

“It is a three-year improvement plan to narrow the gap of disadvantage felt in that neighbourhood.”

A number of agencies and organisations are working to improve the area, including the Mayfield Community Partner-ship and schools and churches in the ward.

The North Farnborough Church of the Good Shepherd has been running the Good Shepherd Community Project since 1993, which includes clothing exchange, a toddler group and a larder for emergency food.

“I think people value the project and know it is there,” said Rachel Bennetts, vicar at the Church of the Good Shepherd.

“If they have got a problem, they feel they can come and ask for help.

“There is so much good work that is done here, people are doing all sorts of really positive things to address the needs.

“The [poverty] statistics are there, and Rushmoor is very aware of the needs of this area of the borough.

“We find it very sad to see the poverty in the area.

“It is very moving when you realise how much there is.

“That is why the church has its community project.”

The Church Urban Fund’s online tool shows clear distinctions between different communities.

For example, the Cherrywood area is only a few miles from the affluent community of Heatherside, in Camberley.

Paul Hackwood, chair of trustees at Church Urban Fund, said: “We live in one of the most unequal countries in the western world.

“We hope our tool will create a much greater awareness of poverty in England and bring people from affluent and less affluent areas together to think about what could be done to support those that are living in poverty.”

To access the Church Urban Fund poverty tool, visit http://www.cuf.org.uk/povertyinengland.

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Most recent user comments 7 of 7

I think that you have missread me my remark was aimed at those who have caused our problems who seem to be untouched by the damage they have caused leaving the rest of us to suffer. Yes I am proud of the fact that I am working class, my definition of working class is all those who get out of bed to go to work and pay their taxes whatever fancy title they give themselves, I know several wealthy people and admire their work ethick of 60+ hours a week with the odd 15hr day thrown in. I may come across as leftwing but i lean to the right but not BNP who I dispise

UKR
08/06/2012 at 14:14

I mostly agree with you, UKR, but seeing as you don't want the working class to all be tarred with the same brush, you shouldn't do it to the richer people either.

BlisteringBarnacles! , Farnborough
07/06/2012 at 18:15

@ BlisteringBarnacles! ,

The problem is that when some people think of social housing they think unemployed scroungers and they cannot be further from the truth, yes they excist but only in small numbers, They do not think of the mother who's husband was killed in a road crash and cannot afford to continue with the morguage, she has to be rehoused, They do not think of the battered wives and families that have had to be moved from other areas for their own safety, they have to be rehoused, There are those who are hard working earning the minimum wage they will never be able to afford to get their foot on the property ladder, they have to be housed. We are in the parish of the Good Shepherd the church stands in an ajoining estate of social housing, the church is discussing expanding the church to house its growing congregation, so we are not an ungodly lot and the christians work with others on the estate to help those who are on hard times. And we are going through hard times at the moment, those on low wages do not get the chance to save for a rainy day so are hardest hit when recession comes, unlike those who caused it who still live in their fine houses and drive their nice cars their children still going to their private schools, it is not envy but why should we suffer the most for their mistakes.

UKR
07/06/2012 at 11:11

I find it astounding that Farnborough can have such stats when it's in the heart of what is probably the richest region in Europe. It's certainly only a matter of minutes away from Hart, which has once again been named the most desirable and least deprived district in the UK.

And the 'Decent' Citizen's hometown Camberley isn't exactly poor, either...

BlisteringBarnacles! , Farnborough
04/06/2012 at 17:36

@ Decent Citizen Children living in poverty. Go into the houses where these people live - large colour televisions, microwaves, freezers... all items which are not indicative of poverty at all. It's just their parents spend money on other things...

I have all the items you have mentioned, bought and paid for when work was plentiful. Times are hard or has not the recession reached your idilic world yet, it has reached here my wife is being made redundant

UKR
29/05/2012 at 14:52

Children living in poverty. Go into the houses where these people live - large colour televisions, microwaves, freezers... all items which are not indicative of poverty at all. It's just their parents spend money on other things...

No, the bleeding hearts brigade - just shut up about so called poverty. Get a grip and stop pretending that nearly a quarter of children live in poverty. They don't.

Decent citizen of the UK, Camberley
29/05/2012 at 10:56

I live in this area and one of the reasons is the collapse of the construction industry and with many companies closing or shedding staff in Rushmoor there are to few vacancies. I am semi retired and do mainly agency work but most of this has dried up or it is to far to be economical to travell. The fact that 30% of housing is social housing does warp the figures. some of the 30% will be taken up by retired, elderly and disabled residents.