Thousands living in absolute poverty, council finds

Durham County Council is assessing the extent of poverty among residents

A council has said thousands of people in its area are living in absolute poverty and are having to rely on support measures.

Figures from Durham County Council suggest more than 112,000 people, about one in five, are struggling and dependent on the help.

The impact of pressures on residents was discussed at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Councillors said food and fuel vouchers, council tax reductions and warm spaces were available for residents.

The figures were presented in the local authority's Poverty Issues Annual Report and suggested that the 12 months up to 31 October 2022 saw 17,000 food vouchers and 3,100 fuel vouchers issued to County Durham residents, a 65% rise on the previous year in both cases.

The number of people in work who claimed Universal Credit more than doubled from 9,500 in March 2020 to 19,900 in September 2023.

Meanwhile, an estimated 17,000 people used the county’s network of Warm Spaces last year, with the offer being broadened to include advice services and relaunched as Welcome Spaces.

The report by the authority, which is run by a Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Independents coalition, also found that just over 53,500 people benefited from the Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme, with more than 25,000 people receiving the maximum 100% discount.

Extra support

Councillor Alan Shield, cabinet member for equality and inclusion, said the council was "absolutely committed to supporting our most vulnerable residents" as part of its Poverty Strategy and Action Plan.

He said: “We’re doing all we can to provide people with a safety net and a huge and ongoing local effort is going into this, not just from ourselves but from our public and voluntary sector partners too.

“Together, we are providing food banks, running free ‘fun and food’ activities in school holidays, working to maximise awareness of free childcare, and more.

“We’re providing welfare advice to help people claim the financial support they’re entitled to.

“We’ve also introduced financial inclusion support officers in some of our secondary schools to offer families money and debt management advice and help them claim their full benefits entitlements."