The City of Westminster is home to over 50,000 employers and over half a million workers and some of the poorest children in the country. Westminster has the 14th highest level of child poverty among the 32 London boroughs.  Westminster illustrates, better than any other local authority, the ‘paradox of proximity’ at the heart of a world city. In Westminster, children who are in the top 0.1% most income deprived in England reside in the same borough as children who are in the least 0.1% income deprived.

In all but one Westminster ward, at least 12% of children (0-16) were reliant on workless households in 2007. Forty two of Westminster’s Super Output Areas (SOA) are in the top 20% of most deprived SOAs in the country – this includes all of the SOAs in the wards of Church Street, Harrow Road, Queen’s Park and Westbourne.

Key facts and figures

40.7% of children live in poverty despite many having one or more members of the family working;

  • 24% of children in Westminster are living in severe poverty;[1]
  • Queen’s Park has a SOA with the highest level of child poverty in England;
  • 9,940 children under 15 live in households dependent on workless benefits, almost double the national average for local authorities;[2]
  • 17,000 residents of working age have no qualifications;
  • approximately 33% of parents are out of work; and
  • 3,285 lone parents claim Income Support, mostly concentrated in a few wards.

 

[1] Severe Child Poverty: Nationally And Locally Save the Children – February 2011 Save the Children UK

[2] Local authority child poverty innovation pilot evaluation: third synthesis report GHK January 2011 Department for Education