County Durham faces “sobering” levels of deprivation and child poverty, as emergency support alone is no longer enough to help struggling families, writes Local Democracy Reporter, Bill Edgar.
The warning from Dawn Bellingham, cabinet member for communities and civic resilience, came after Durham County Council revealed its latest annual poverty progress report.
As part of the review, councillors were told that the authority must shift its focus from responding to crises to preventing them.
Cllr Bellingham told a cabinet meeting: “The report sets out some sobering statistics in terms of the widening levels of deprivation and higher than average levels of child poverty in County Durham, compared to other areas. The consequence of years and years of neglect by successive governments.”
A report presented to the council’s cabinet said financial insecurity remained a “significant and sustained challenge” across County Durham, with demand for support during 2025-26 at similar or higher levels than the previous year.
It also said the county’s national deprivation ranking had worsened, according to the latest figures published by the Office for National Statistics.
The council said lessons learned from delivering the £8.2m Household Support Fund over the past year had shaped a new Crisis and Resilience Fund, launched in April.
The scheme places greater emphasis on early intervention, with the aim of reducing repeat requests for emergency assistance and improving long-term financial resilience.
Cllr Bellingham added: “The key message is one of learning and evolving our support offer going forward.
“Crisis support is not enough. Despite a comprehensive package of crisis support being available, the evidence shows that demand remains.
“Let us not forget that behind each statistic is a family struggling to make ends meet and find their way out of poverty and the circumstances they find themselves in.”
The council also automatically enrolled 410 children for free school meals, generating more than £538,000 in additional pupil premium funding for schools and providing £203,000 in support for families.
A new advice service delivered by Groundwork North East supported more than 500 residents, helping them gain more than £508,000, while discretionary housing payments worth almost £960,000 helped more than 1,000 households facing housing-related financial hardship.
The report also highlighted work carried out over the past year, including the council’s welfare rights service helping 3,476 residents secure more than £14m in additional income.
Elsewhere, holiday activity and food programmes provided more than 45,000 meals during school holidays, employability schemes supported 1,377 residents, with 883 progressing into work, education or training, and around 90% of properties across the county can now access gigabit-capable broadband.
Bill Edgar
Reporter for the Local Democracy Reporter Service.
South West Durham News covering news across County Durham.
