ONE in three children is living in poverty in areas of the city, a charity has found.

And more working families are struggling to make ends meet with stagnant wages and rising housing costs, according to figures from charity Campaign to End Child Poverty.

A map created by the charity used data from 2013 to work out what percentage of children were living below the poverty line in different areas.

It showed across the city, a quarter of children were affected but in areas such as Cowley Marsh the figure was more than a third – with politicians calling the figures a “scandal”.

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There are two Government definitions of poverty: the first is children whose parents are working, but earning less than ÂŁ16,000 a year between them, and the second group is children whose parents do not work and instead receive benefits.

But the Campaign to End Child Poverty report said this measure was inaccurate, adding: “It is considerably overstating the numbers in out-of-work poverty and understating the numbers in working poverty.”

The report took into account people’s housing costs and the local level of employment, and revealed it was working families who were feeling the pressure.

Spokeswoman Helen Berresford explained: “In the official figures housing benefit is included in your income.

“Because Oxford has very high rents lots of people get housing benefits, which makes them look better off than they are.”

Susie Drohan, manager at the Barton Advice Centre, said: “The problem in Oxford is the cost of housing. That is taking a large proportion of people’s income to cover the cost of their rents.

“It’s great that people are in work, but people want some fair return for the work they are doing.”

She added the advice centre had seen an increase in the need for food banks, which she said was another symptom of poverty for working families.

Jane Benyon, the director of Cowley’s Community Emergency Foodbank, said: “We certainly get a proportion of people who are working but are struggling.

“Some of them are on zero-hours contracts and others are just not earning enough or able to work enough hours to make it pay.

“It’s an increading number who are coming to us in that situation. It wasn’t an issue that came up when we first opened, but it is now.”

In Northfield Brook the percentage of children in poverty was 34 per cent.

Ward councillor Scott Seamons said: “Most of these families are also working, which means more employers in Oxford need to be moving towards a living wage.”

Oxford East MP Andrew Smith said: “It’s vital to remember that every one of these statistics is a real child, who is often not getting off to the start in life which a civilised society should want to see for everyone.”

He added: “For between a quarter and a half of children in the poorer half of Oxford to be in poverty is a scandal.

“We need urgently to ensure everyone gets the living wage in our high-cost city and to build houses so children grow up in decent accommodation at a rent their family can afford.”

Conservative MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, Nicola Blackwood said: “We must do whatever we can to eradicate conditions that perpetuate poverty in our communities.

“This is exactly why the Government is raising the minimum wage, cutting taxes for the lowest paid, building more affordable housing, creating more apprenticeships and good jobs locally and bringing in universal credit which can be claimed by those in low paid work.”

HIGHEST POVERTY RATES

  • Blackbird Leys    36.23%
  • Carfax        34.75%
  • Rose Hill and Iffley    34.51%
  • Northfield Brook    34.28%
  • Cowley Marsh    33.91%

    BETTER OFF BEING AT HOME

SAFIA Baker, from Barton, is one of many who is better off not working due to low wages and rising costs.

The 45-year-old is a carer for her husband John, 48, who has epilepsy, and her 10-year-old son Usman, who suffers from the metabolic disease Phenylketonuri.

Aside from her benefits, the only income comes from her daughter, Oria Malik, 18, who works at Argos.
Safia said: “I’m not on benefits by choice, I had to.

“It’s how you juggle your money. I don’t drink or smoke or anything like that. Most of my money goes on my kids’ needs.”

Mrs Baker said the family were in a better position now than when she was working as a teaching assistant.

“I know plenty of people who are working and they struggle like there’s no tomorrow. Rent and council tax is a big factor that people struggle with.

“I’ve been in that situation when I was working 25 hours a week, five days a week, and I had about £2 left at the end of the month after rent and bills.

“My daughter would ask for things to eat and I had nothing to give her.

“The Government should help working families as well as people on benefits, with rent especially. Families on benefits don’t need everything for free.”

 

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