Thousands of Bradford children live in poverty in 2022

The district is home to the highest amount of children living in poverty in the whole of West Yorkshire.

The figures, released by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), showed the number of children living in relative low income families has risen by 17.6 per cent between 2015 and 2022.

It meant 35.6 per cent of children in Bradford were in 'relative poverty' - defined as being in a family whose income was below 60 per cent of average household income and claimed child benefit and at least one other household benefit.

Of these children, 35,969 were in 'absolute poverty' as their family's income was lower than 60 per cent of the median income established in 2010-2011 – accounting for 28.9 per cent of kids in the area.

Mushtaq Hussain, founder of Bradford-based Inspire Futures Foundation, said the numbers don’t even begin to capture “the true essence of what the reality is on the ground”.

The issue has spiralled against the backdrop of the cost of living crisis, war in Ukraine, and rising inflation rates, he warned.

There were almost 37,654 children living in poverty in Bradford in 2015 - but that figure had risen to 44,287 children by 2022.

Compared to other local authorities in 2022, this is double the figures for Kirklees and 34.4 per cent higher than disadvantaged children living in Leeds.

Volunteers at Inspire Futures Foundation swung into action as a lifeline for the city's most vulnerable families at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

With worsening financial difficulties before coronavirus, more and more people needed help with food and hygiene packages.

Mushtaq delivered food and support parcels to Bradford families throughout the lockdowns

Three years later, the issue has only become more prevalent - despite the figures showing a slight drop since the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021.

“The problem with the figures is it doesn’t capture the true essence of what the reality is on the ground,” Mushtaq said.

“Some individuals might not be on free school meals, they’re below the threshold, but they’re still finding it hard to put bread on the table.

“It’s quite a stressful, worrying time for families. 

“Last week I got a call from a local school to say there’s a family - a father and son - they’ve got absolutely nothing. We were able to get them the bare basics, they were extremely grateful. 

“This particular child, about 14 years of age, he was malnourished. They were concerned about his welfare. When we have stuff like that it makes the hair tingle at the back of your neck. 

Inspire Futures Foundation has been delivered food and support parcels to Bradford families throughout lockdowns

“We still get a number of families on making ends meet day by day. We want to give them something that will last more than a day or week. They get overwhelmed by the generosity. 

“The cost of living crisis, it just doesn’t balance. They’re left with crumbs to put food and drink on the table.

“The cost of living, we’ve seen the impact on healthcare workers, teachers, all these professionals, are relying on food banks from the sheer volume of bills and fuel costs.

“If there’s no let down in terms of the energy crisis, if that cap doesn’t come down, we’ve already seen council tax has gone up in Bradford which is a large chunk, it’s going to be a worrying time for a lot of families already stressed out."

Meanwhile Shahid Islam, a health researcher by day and vice chair at Bradford4Better by night, said: "Poverty has a major impact on so many parts of our existence it makes sense to focus on ways to tackle it if we aspire to create a city of healthy and happy residents.

"We have several decades of data showing poorer households experience poorer outcomes across so many spheres including education, nutrition, health choices , lifespan and general quality of life.

"When poverty increases then it has an adverse impact on health and wellbeing. The two are inextricably linked."

It comes ahead of Bradford Council’s executive meeting, where a report from the strategic director of health and wellbeing will be discussed.

The meeting, to be held on April 4, will seek endorsement for the council’s approach to the cost of living crisis. 

Under Bradford’s planned anti-poverty strategy, the report focuses on different elements including ‘prevention, protection, pathways and participation’. 

Schemes planned for 2023/24 include a £3.2 million fund for community and voluntary sector groups, £0.8 million for food banks, and £0.46 million for ‘welcoming and warm spaces’. 

There are also plans to support specific groups of people identified as needing additional support, including carers, care leavers, and foster carers 

The report reads: “Experiencing financial hardship and poverty has an impact on emotional health and wellbeing and hence on motivation, quality of life and opportunity. This strategy will support intervention at the appropriate level to provide financial support where needed, either directly or through our partner organisations. The strategy aims to support and empower individuals to build their own resilience through accessing support.”