child poverty needs assessment

Milton Keynes Child Poverty Needs Assessment

31 March 2011

Children and Young People’s Services

Date issued: 31 March 2011 (amended 08 June 2011) Prepared by: Directorate Performance Manager and Policy and Projects Officer

M10689

Milton Keynes Child Poverty Needs Assessment, 31 March 2011

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Contents

Summary of key messages 2

1. Background 3

1.1 Definition 3

2. Why children living in poverty matters 4

2.1 Who is involved in responding to poverty? 5

3. Local context 6

3.1 Population and demography 6

3.2 Population projections 7

3.3 Deprivation 8

4. What does poverty look like locally? 9

4.1 Financial support 9

4.2 Employment and skills 16

4.3 Life Chances 21

4.4 Place 31

5. Moving Forwards 38

Appendix 1: Child poverty basket of indicators 39


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Summary of key messages from the needs assessment Children living in the most deprived urban areas (Woughton, Eaton Manor and

Campbell Park wards) were more likely to experience poverty, but there were small yet significant groups of children in poverty in relatively affluent rural wards.

Children aged 10 years and under appear to be at particular risk of poverty and poor outcomes, regardless of whether they live with a lone parent or a couple.

The majority of children in poverty are in lone parent households. Children in low paid working poor families might be harder to reach than those on

workless benefits. Those who live in the most deprived areas tend to do less well in early years

education. At the end of Key Stage 2 (age 11) and Key Stage 4 (GCSE, age 16) educational attainment was lower among looked after children, those who were eligible for free school meals and some black and minority ethnic groups. At the end of Key Stage 4 attainment was particularly low in the following groups: Mixed White / Black Caribbean; Black African boys; White British boys who were eligible for free school meals.

Life expectancy was lower and the prevalence of obesity was higher in the most deprived areas of Milton Keynes. More referrals to Children's Social Care originate from these same areas, indicating that the risk of family breakdown is higher as is the need for support and intervention from external agencies rather than within wider family or community networks.

Young people who are NEET (not in education, employment or training) have an increased risk of experiencing poverty as adults. In Milton Keynes, a relatively high proportion of care leavers and young offenders are NEET, indicating that these groups have an increased risk of poverty.

Homelessness has been a growing issue in Milton Keynes during 2010 and is likely to continue to grow. Children in homeless households face additional risks of social exclusion and isolation.

The highest rates of child poverty tend to be found in the most deprived estates but more affluent, rural areas also have pockets of child poverty of varying size. Newport Pagnell and Olney, each have relatively large populations, where relatively small proportions are affected by poverty. These relatively small proportions are equivalent to a significant number of children, in comparison to some of the smaller, more deprived estates. Children living in poverty in rural areas can be hidden by the general levels of affluence that surround them and may have particular difficulty in accessing the range of services and opportunities that are available in urban deprived areas. At the same time, rural households face additional costs in order to achieve the same minimum living standard as an equivalent household in an urban setting.


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What poverty looks like for children in Milton Keynes 1 Background This Local Child Poverty Needs Assessment will be used to inform the development of Milton Keynes Council’s Child Poverty Strategy. The Needs Assessment 2010/11 brings together information drawn from existing data and consultations to provide an overview of what child poverty looks like in Milton Keynes. Following publication in March 2011, the Needs Assessment will be regularly reviewed and updated in accordance with the latest government guidance and legislation. The Child Poverty Needs Assessment has been compiled from information provided by partners from across the borough. It reflects the existing strong partnership links across the Milton Keynes Children and Families Partnership and our commitment to working together to provide the most effective support to our local community. This partnership approach will be at the heart of Milton Keynes’ strategy and will be an important factor to develop further as we work to mitigate the effects of and reduce child poverty. The Child Poverty Needs Assessment considers each of the following four areas as specified in the Child Poverty Act 2010:

Financial Support: the provision of financial support for children and parents

Employment and Parental Skills: provision of information, advice and assistance to parents and promotion of parenting skills and the promotion and facilitation of the employment of parents or of the development of the skills of parents and employment in general.

Life Chances: physical and mental health, education, childcare and social services

Place: housing, the built or natural environment and the promotion of social inclusion

1.1 Definition The Child Poverty Act 2010 says a child is in poverty if he or she:

Lives in a home with absolute low income - the families’ income is not rising in real terms; their income is less than 60% of the 1998/99 baseline year median equivalised net household income expressed in today’s prices.

Lives in a home of relative low income - the family’s income is not keeping

pace with the growth of incomes in the economy as a whole and income is below 60% of contemporary median equivalised net household income.

Experiences material deprivation and low income combined - the family

has an income below 70% of contemporary median equivalised net household income and experiences material deprivation.


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Grows up in persistent poverty - the family has had its equivalised net

income for the year at less than 60% of median equivalised net household income for at least three of the past four years.

Additionally, the report of the Independent Review on poverty and life chances (‘The Foundation Years: Preventing poor children becoming poor adults’, Frank Field, December 2010) identified the need to broaden the concept of poverty beyond a narrow focus on income. The resulting government consultation on a new approach to tackling child poverty and improving life changes suggests that whilst ‘it would be wrong to say that income is unimportant’, what is needed is a multi-dimensional approach that tackles socio-economic disadvantage and increases longer term social mobility in order to break the cycle of disadvantage. The consultation document proposes a provisional definition of socio-economic disadvantage as meaning that:

‘children lack parental resources and/or opportunities to participate in meaningful activities, services and relationships, and such experiences during childhood - especially over persistent periods of time - negatively affect children's wellbeing, development, and future life chances.’

2 Why children living in poverty matters The priority that ‘child poverty is not a barrier to success is one of ten aspirations for children and young people’ as outlined in the Milton Keynes Children's Trust Children and Young People's Plan 2009-11. The high priority placed on this aim reflects the importance Milton Keynes places upon working towards the government’s vision of ending child poverty by 2020. The Child Poverty Act 2010 placed a legal obligation on all local authorities and their delivery partners to cooperate with a view to reduce and mitigate the effects of child poverty in the local area; to conduct a local needs assessment, produce a child poverty strategy and take child poverty into account in the production and revision of their Sustainable Community Strategy. Following the publication of ‘The Foundation Years’ Independent Review on Poverty and Life Chances, the coalition government’s 2011 consultation on a new approach to tackling child poverty has confirmed their commitment to the goal of ending child poverty. The government’s intention to take a broader approach in their strategy that will tackle the underlying causes of inter-generational disadvantage, is reflected in Milton Keynes Council’s ambition for all agencies to work more effectively together to provide people with the support and skills to make a better life for themselves. By supporting families to turn around their long-term economic prospects, we will seek to improve children’s life chances, and increase their aspirations and educational success.


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2.1 Who is involved in responding to poverty? The Child Poverty Act (2010) imposes the following duties on local authorities and other statutory partners: To work together to reduce child poverty, and mitigate its effects; To prepare a joint child poverty strategy that sets out the measures that each

partner proposes to take; To have regard to the joint child poverty strategy in exercising their functions.

The following are statutory partners and therefore have a duty to co-operate in accordance with the legislation: Milton Keynes Council (lead organisation); The police, Probation Service and Youth Offending Team; The Integrated Transport Authority; The Strategic Health Authority and Primary Care Trust; Jobcentre Plus.

Within Milton Keynes Council, it has been agreed that Children and Young People's Services will lead on producing the Child Poverty Needs Assessment and the Child Poverty Strategy. This work is being undertaken in partnership with other directorates within the council and with some statutory partners. It is anticipated that there will be more widespread involvement of other organisations, particularly those within the voluntary and community sectors. Effective partnership working is essential in developing a shared understanding of the main issues and in identifying creative measures to address them.


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3 Local context 3.1 Population and demography Milton Keynes is a young community, both in the age of its housing stock and the ages of its population. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) mid-year population estimates for 2009 indicate that 236,700 people live in Milton Keynes, of which 62,800 (26.5%) are children and young people aged 0 – 19 years. 48.6% of the children and young people are female and 51.6% are male. Table 1: ONS 2009 mid-year population estimates by age and sex

Age Population % of total population

Male Female

Total 236700 100 118800 117900Under 1 3800 1.6 1900 1900

1 - 4 14000 5.9 7300 67005 - 9 15400 6.5 7800 7600

10 - 14 14900 6.3 7700 730015 - 19 14700 6.2 7700 7000

All aged0 - 19 62800 26.5 32400 30500

Since 2002, the proportion of the Milton Keynes population that are children and young people has reduced slightly from 27.6% to 26.5%. At the same time, the total population has grown by 10.4% and the number of children and young people has increased from 59,000 to 62,800 (6.4% increase). The younger age groups have increased most in comparison to 2002. The group aged under one year increased by 23.7%, and the one to four age group increased by 19.3%. The increase in the Milton Keynes population reflects both natural growth and migration. There have been consistent increases in the number of births per year and more children move into the area than leave. During the year ending June 2009, 1800 children aged 0 – 14 years moved into Milton Keynes from other local authorities and 15,00 left, resulting in a balance of 300 additional children (ONS, 2009). The same trend was not apparent for young people aged 15 – 19 years as 400 moved into Milton Keynes and 1,100 left, resulting in 700 fewer young people. ONS mid-year population estimates also suggested that the number of 15 - 19 year olds decreased from 2008 to 2009. The Spring 2010 Schools Census shows that 39,402 pupils attend schools in Milton Keynes. Black and Minority Ethnic groups represent 31.0% of pupils, in comparison to 20.7% in 2005. The Black African Group is the largest minority ethnic group accounting for 7.8% of pupils. This is followed by the Mixed (5.4%) and White Other groups (4.3%). The data demonstrate that Milton Keynes has a young, growing population that is increasing in ethnic diversity.


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3.2 Population projections The Milton Keynes information Observatory (MKi) has produced population projections for Milton Keynes up to 2026. These reflect assumptions about local fertility and mortality rates, the migration profile and the house-building trajectory. The future population might differ from these projections if the underlying assumptions are not fulfilled. Table 2: Population projections from 2009 to 2026

Age 2009 population 2026 population % change

Total 236,700 298,450 26.1%0 - 4 17,800 19,700 10.7%5 - 9 15,400 20,050 30.2%

10 - 14 14,900 20,250 35.9%15 - 19 14,700 18,800 27.9%

All aged0 - 19 62,800 78,800 25.5%

The largest percentage rises are seen in the older age groups, with the population aged between 60 and 80 years increasing by 74% between 2009 and 2026, and those aged 80 plus increasing by more than 130%. The proportion of the population that is of working age (20-64) is set to fall from 62% to 55%, although the size of this age group will increase by over 32,000. The size of the population aged 0-four is set to increase by 10%, from 17,800 to 19,700. A larger percentage increase is seen in the population aged five -14 which will increase by 33% from 30,300 to 40,300. Population figures are also available for the urban and rural areas within Milton Keynes borough. The rural area is defined as Danesborough, Hanslope, Newport Pagnell, Olney and Sherington Wards. The urban area is defined as Bradwell, Bletchley and Fenny Stratford, Campbell Park, Denbigh, Eaton Manor, Emerson Valley, Furzton, Linford North, Linford South, Loughton Park, Middleton, Stantonbury, Stony Stratford, Walton Park, Whaddon, Wolverton and Woughton Wards (Milton Keynes Borough - Past Population and Projections to 2026, Mki 2010). In 2009 it was estimated that 84.4% of the population lived in the urban area and 15.6% lived in the rural area. The proportion living in the rural area has slowly but consistently reduced since 1967, and projections indicate that this trend will continue at least to 2026. This reflects a higher level of population growth in the urban area than in the rural area. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) recently published a new study, comparing household costs and needs in rural and urban areas1. Overall, it found that all rural households faced additional costs in order to achieve the same minimum living standard as an equivalent household in an urban setting. A working-age couple with two children living in a rural town requires an additional 12% to meet the minimum

1 Smith, N., Davis, A., and Hirsch, D. (2010) A minimum income standard for rural households. York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation http://www.jrf.org.uk/sites/files/jrf/minimum-income-standards-rural-full.pdf Accessed 23 February 2011


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income standard for an equivalent urban household. The additional costs rise to 15% in a village and 18% in a hamlet. The additional costs for a lone parent with one child range from 9% to 16%. Transport costs were found to make up the single largest element of these differences, and were most significant in the most rural locations. 3.3 Deprivation Milton Keynes is ranked 212 out of 354 Local Authority Districts (with one being the most deprived) in the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) 2007. This is a slight improvement on the 2004 rank of 204 (Social atlas 2010, MKi). Of the 139 Lower Super Output Areas (LSOAs) in Milton Keynes, there are six which are within the 10% most deprived in England. This compares to five in 2004. Overall there are 22 LSOAs within the most deprived 30%, the same number as with the 2004 Index. There are 14 LSOAs within the least deprived 10% in England, the same number as in the 2004 Index (Social atlas 2010, MKi). Figure 1: Areas of deprivation in Milton Keynes

LSOAs Within Decile:

90-100%80-90%70-80%60-70%50-60%40-50%30-40%20-30%10-20%0-10%

Deprivation Rank

Least Most


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Figure 1 shows that the 6 most deprived LSOAs in Milton Keynes cover a large part of Woughton Ward and part of Eaton Manor Ward (Social Atlas 2010, MKi). This suggests that child poverty is mainly concentrated in the south of the borough. It is recognized that some children also live in poverty in the least deprived areas where they might be hidden by the relative affluence that surrounds them. Approximately 18.1% of the overall Milton Keynes population and 18.0% of children and young people (9,200) aged 0 – 15 years live in areas that are among the 30% most deprived in England. 21.4% of children and young people aged 0-15 live in areas classed as being in the 30% lowest child wellbeing areas as classified by the Child Wellbeing Being Index 2009 (Sources: IMD 2007, Child Wellbeing Index 2009, ONS Mid-2009 Population Estimates for Lower Layer Super Output Areas, provided by MKi). 4 What does poverty look like locally? 4.1 Financial support 4.1.1 Measures of child poverty A national indicator (NI 116) measures child poverty with the following definition: the proportion of children in families in receipt of Income Support or Jobseekers Allowance, or in receipt of tax credits where their reported income is less than 60% median income. The most recent data available indicated that 19.6 % of Milton Keynes children (11,255 children) lived in income-deprived families in 2008. The same proportion was reported for 2007. Nationally, 20.9% of children were living in poverty in 2008. Data for NI 116 are also available by ward and have been used to generate Figure 2. Woughton had the largest proportion of children living in poverty (38.9%) and Olney had the smallest (5.1). Woughton, Campbell Park and Wolverton were the wards that had the largest number of children in poverty, with each having in excess of 1,000. This tends to reflect the urban areas of deprivation. Olney ward had the smallest proportion of children in poverty, as might be expected from the deprivation data. However, this was equivalent to 100 children, a relatively small but still significant group. All of the least deprived rural wards have some children living in poverty but with generally low population density in those areas, the numbers are small. The MKi Observatory calculates a local figure for the proportion of children in poverty (children in households receiving Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance, Incapacity Benefit or Employment and Support Allowance). This provides a more timely measure of child poverty but does not include working households with low earnings. This figure has increased steadily from 14.7% in November 2007 to its current level of 17.6% in May 2010. Save the Children Fund have recently published a research briefing2 on severe child poverty, based on the following definition: ‘children are living in severe poverty if they

2 Save the Children Fund, Severe child poverty: nationally and locally February 2011 http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/assets/images/Severe_Child_Poverty_Nationally_And_Locally_February2011.pdf Accessed 23 February 2011.


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live in a household with an income of below 50 per cent of the median (after housing costs), and where both adults and children lack at least one basic necessity, and either adults or children or both groups lack at least two basic necessities’. This suggested that 12% of children (6,000 individuals) in Milton Keynes were living in severe poverty in 2008/09, in comparison to 13% in England and 9% in South East region. Unsurprisingly, severe child poverty tends to be associated with areas of high unemployment. Figure 2: Percentage of children living in poverty by ward - August 2008

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%Woughton

Eaton ManorCampbell Park

Wolverton

Bradwell

Stantonbury

Bletchley and Fenny Stratford

Denbigh

Whaddon

Stony Stratford

Linford SouthLinford NorthMiddleton

Furzton

Walton Park

Loughton Park

Emerson Valley

Newport Pagnell North

Newport Pagnell South

Danesborough

Hanslope Park

SheringtonOlney

MK Wards MK average England average 4.1.2 Child poverty basket of indicators The Child Poverty Unit has published data for a number of national indicators that have been chosen to reflect the drivers of child poverty that can be influenced by local authorities and their partners. Appendix 1 includes data to demonstrate performance against this basket of indicators. 4.1.3 Wage levels (Local Economic Assessment, 2011) Median weekly earnings (gross) for Milton Keynes residents working full time have risen steadily, from £456 in 2004 to £521 in 2009. During this period males consistently had higher median weekly earnings than females. In 2009 males earned £137 per week more than female employees. In 2009, part time weekly earnings in the South East region were highest in Surrey and Milton Keynes at £174.6 and £174.0 respectively.


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4.1.4 Benefits (Local Economic Assessment, 2011) The number of people in receipt of any working age benefit (carer’s allowance (CA), disability living allowance (DLA), incapacity benefit (IB), income support (IS), jobseekers allowance (JSA), severe disablement allowance and widows benefit (WB)), in Milton Keynes rose from 16,010 in November 2004 to 21,540 in November 2009, a 35% increase. Increased JSA claims were largely responsible for this increase. The proportion of benefit claimants who had one or more child dependents rose from 40% in 2000 to 60% in 2010. This suggests that an increasing proportion of children are experiencing poverty. The growing child population suggests that actual numbers are also growing. It is important to note that these figures include DLA, IB, severe disablement allowance and WB which could be claimed regardless of any other income. 4.1.5 Housing and council tax benefit There were 24,052 housing and council tax benefit claimants in Milton Keynes in June 2010. This is equivalent to 237.3 per 1,000 households. This has risen for the second year in succession, probably reflecting the current economic situation. The highest rate is 585 per 1,000 dwellings in Beanhill, a rate which has fallen from 615 per 1000 in 2009 (MKi Social Atlas, 2010). Beanhill is one of the estates located within Woughton ward. Beanhill, Netherfield, Tinkers Bridge and Fishermead had housing and council tax benefit claimant rates which were equivalent to more than 50% of dwellings. However, the relatively affluent area of Olney (least deprived Milton Keynes estate in terms of IMD 2007) also had a high number of claimants. Olney had a claimant rate of 121.4 per 1,000 households which is equivalent to 343 claimants. This is considerably higher than the 216 claimants living in Tinkers Bridge (MKi Social Atlas, 2010). This further suggests that small but significant pockets of poverty can be found in affluent, rural areas. 4.1.6 Lone parent families In August 2008, 8,585 of the 11,255 children living in poverty were living in families in receipt of IS or income-based JSA. Of these, 7,000 were lone parent families. Similarly there were 1865 children in low paid working poor families of whom 1410 were in lone parent households. More than 60% of all children in poverty in Milton Keynes were aged 10 or under. This is equivalent to 7,425 children (data published by HMIC in 2010). MK Social Atlas (MKi, 2010) includes information about IS claimants, sourced from Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). In August 2009, 3,385 lone parent families claimed IS in Milton Keynes. This is a rate of 21.5 per 1,000 working age population and is higher than that of England as a whole (18.5 per 1,000). It also represents a slight decrease in comparison to August 2008 when the rate was 22.1 per 1,000 working age population (MK Social Atlas, 2009).


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In 2009, there were 12 wards in Milton Keynes with a higher rate of lone parents claiming Income Support than the England average. Eaton Manor and Woughton Wards were more than twice the national average. Figure 3: Lone Parent Income Support Claimants for Milton Keynes Wards, August 2009

4.1.7 Citizens Advice Bureau During 2009/2010, Milton Keynes Citizens Advice Bureau (MK CAB) dealt with almost 40,000 enquiries. The MK CAB Annual Report (2009/10) reported that the most common subject areas were debt (31%), welfare benefits (29%) and employment (11%). MK CAB provides free and confidential advice and, in addition to their central services available in Central Milton Keynes and Bletchley, they are commissioned to provide weekly outreach advice sessions to communities at three Sure Start children's centres within the high need areas of Fishermead, Fullers Slade and Netherfield. Statistics show that the principal areas on which families seek advice through the children's centres are debt and benefits, indicating a similar picture to issues raised through the main MK CAB service across the whole of Milton Keynes. In the Fishermead children's centre, in particular, the number of people seen has steadily increased during 2010 and advice about debt has been the predominant issue, accounting for 58% of the 70 enquiries during October and December 2010. Numbers seen through the other two children's centres have been fairly constant at an average of 45 people per quarter.


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4.1.8 Food Bank The Food Bank was established in Milton Keynes in 2004, initially run wholly by volunteers. It provides local families and individuals with essential food supplies at times of crisis, covering the days or sometimes weeks before other parts of the social care infrastructure can come into play. In 2008 a development grant from Milton Keynes Community Foundation enabled expansion of the scheme to meet growing needs. The Food Bank relies entirely on donations of food and money from local schools, churches, businesses, organisations and individuals. Since opening, the Food Bank has seen a steady growth in the number of local people being referred via a network of over 95 agencies including Milton Keynes Council, Age Concern, British Red Cross, Hospital, Probation Service, YMCA and various housing associations, as well as schools, churches and GP surgeries. There was an increase of 119% in the number of food packs distributed from 2008 to 2010. The greatest proportionate increase was in the number of food packs for children being distributed. Table 3: number of packs distributed per year

Year Adults Packs Child Packs Total

2008 1675 740 2415

2009 2087 1022 3109

2010 3355 1938 5293

Figures for early 2011 indicate a worsening situation. By the end of February, 1,100 packs had been distributed which was more than double the number for the same period in 2010. Table 4 shows the date by ‘Nature of Need’ captured via the Food Bank vouchers. Benefit cuts, unemployment and debt account for almost 80% of the reasons why people need to use this service. In the current economic climate this trend is likely to continue, as these three reasons so often follow each other when someone loses their job. Table 5 shows a breakdown of distribution of adult (aged 16 or more) and child food packs by estate showing the highest twelve areas for years 2008 -2010 The breakdown does not take account of the variation in size of each area. For example, of the three areas which consistently feature within the top three rankings, Bletchley covers a much larger population than specific grid square areas such as Fishermead and Conniburrow. Fishermead is part of Campbell Park ward, much of Bletchley is within Bletchley and Fenny Stratford ward, and Conniburrow is within Bradwell ward. These wards have been associated with relatively high rates of child poverty.


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Table 4: reasons for using the Food Bank Nature of Need 2008 2009 2010

Asylum / Immigration New Category 3% 1%

Benefit Cuts 39% 44% 50%

Child Holiday Meals 2% 1% 1%

Debt 13% 24% 24%

Delayed Wages 3% 2% 1%

Family Crisis 9% 2% 1%

Homeless 11% 7% 6%

Sickness 2% 2% 1%

Unemployed 21% 15% 15%

Table 5: distribution of food packs by estate

2008 2009 2010 Adult Child Adult Child Adult Child

Estate

No. Rank No. Rank No. Rank No. Rank No. Rank No. Rank Fishermead 183 2 127 1 185 2 82 2 291 3 220 1Bletchley 230 1 104 2 380 1 225 1 436 1 202 2Conniburrow 93 5 44 3 128 4 42 5 215 4 115 3Oldbrook 88 6 43 4 53 10 17 17 105 9 98 4Greenleys 16 21 17 13 20 27 16 20 96 11 95 5Netherfield 67 7 38 5 59 8 29 9 167 6 91 6Beanhill 46 11 17 12 20 25 18 16 104 10 81 7Wolverton 17 19 2 36 86 6 60 3 129 7 80 8Fullers Slade 48 10 28 8 47 11 35 7 54 19 79 9New Bradwell 44 12 16 14 65 7 44 4 109 8 74 10CMK 173 3 24 9 153 3 19 14 317 2 58 11Bradville 24 15 13 16 37 13 17 18 60 15 58 12No Fixed Address

164 4 36 6 108 5 27 10 180 5 52 13

Stantonbury 50 9 29 7 29 17 23 12 63 14 50 14Heelands 6 35 5 27 33 14 26 11 69 13 44 16Downs Barn 16 20 4 30 29 16 39 6 54 18 40 17Stacey Bushes

37 13 19 11 14 37 2 47 59 16 30 19

Hodge Lea 15 23 10 21 20 28 30 8 18 31 20 24Tinkers Bridge

12 27 2 37 38 12 20 13 57 17 18 26

Bradwell Common

60 8 4 29 54 9 8 31 73 12 5 46

Shenley Brook End

22 16 24 10 10 44 6 36 7 55 4 54


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Families that need to take up food bank parcels will be amongst the neediest in respect of material deprivation. These families will also need support to help them to resolve the issues leading to the crisis which brought them into contact with the service in the first place. 4.1.9 Credit union Milton Keynes Credit Union (MKCU) is a financial cooperative, providing safe savings and affordable loans to people who live or work in Milton Keynes. MKCU has been working in the city since 2006 and now has over 430 members. The credit union approach offers several advantages, particularly for those with low incomes: No credit check or bank account is required to join. Saving is flexible and can start at a low level. Savings are safe, as they are protected by the Financial Services Compensation

Scheme (FSCS) Members can save by standing order, or by cash at one of our local, community

based collection points as detailed below. Once established as a saver, a member can then borrow up to three times their

savings at affordable interest rates as low as 1% per month (12.7% APR) There is free life assurance on savings and loans. Members savings are retained and recycled in the local community.

The credit union has seven ’collection points’ within the urban areas of Milton Keynes and most members live in areas where the collection points have been established for some time. People need to join through one of the collection points and would also need to go to these to sign for loans. Collection areas were set up to focus on areas of most need and although MKCU is looking to expand, to West Bletchley and the more rural areas in the north of the borough, this is contingent upon availability of premises and volunteers. 4.1 Financial support: summary Within Milton Keynes a growing proportion and number of benefit claimants have dependent children, increasing their risk of poverty. Children living in the most deprived urban areas were more likely to experience poverty but, a small yet significant group was also apparent in a relatively affluent rural ward. All of the rural areas have small numbers of children in poverty, presenting specific challenges to services that might wish to reach them. Those who live in the most deprived areas may already have easy access to services to reduce the risk of poor outcomes. Those who live in relatively affluent rural areas may find it difficult to access similar opportunities. At the same time, rural households face additional costs in order to achieve the same minimum living standard as an equivalent household in an urban setting. Population projections suggest that an increasing proportion of Milton Keynes residents will live in the urban areas. In response, there is a danger that services and


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support will become increasingly focused on those urban areas without providing the rural poor with access to the same opportunities. The group of children in poverty aged 10 years and under represent a large proportion of those in poverty and at risk of poor outcomes, regardless of whether they live with a lone parent or a couple. However, the majority of children in poverty are in lone parent households so this group is also particularly at risk, where the parent is unemployed or receives a low wage. Children in low paid working poor families might be harder to reach than those on workless benefits. New welfare reform measures may present additional challenges for lone parents. Lone parent obligations (LPO) were introduced from November 2008 and meant that lone parent customers with a youngest child aged 12 or over would no longer be entitled to income support (IS) solely on the grounds of being a lone parent. Since then, the age has been reduced so that by autumn 2010, those with a youngest child aged seven and over lost entitlement. The coalition government announced in the June 2010 emergency budget that these obligations will be extended in 2012 so that lone parents would lose their eligibility to IS when their youngest child reached five years. The data specifically suggest that children in Eaton Manor and Woughton wards are more likely to experience poverty. This corresponds to the areas of greatest deprivation. However, small but significant groups of children also live in poverty in more rural, affluent areas where access to services and employment opportunities might be an issue. 4.2 Employment and skills 4.2.1 Skills (Local Economic Assessment, 2011) The number of employees in the Milton Keynes economy has risen from 112,992 in 1998 to 142,620 in 2008, a 26% increase. The banking finance and insurance sector provided the highest proportion of full time positions in Milton Keynes in 2008 at 34% and also provided 20% of the total part time positions. The largest percentage of part time jobs was in the distribution and hotels sector at 36%. The level of self employment in Milton Keynes has been lower than in the South East and in England as a whole since 2004. In 2009, self employment in Milton Keynes constituted 8.9% of the working age population, in comparison to 14.3% in the South East region and more than 13% in England as a whole. Since 2004, the occupational structure of Milton Keynes has been changing such that the proportion employed as managers, professionals and technical occupations (highly skilled) in Milton Keynes increased from 43% in 2004 to 46% in 2009. This remains lower than the latest available figures for the South East (49% in 2008) and England (47% in 2008). In 2004, 15% of Milton Keynes workers were in the elementary category (i.e. low skills occupations such as farm workers, labourers, packers, porters, window cleaners, security guards, shelf fillers, etc.) compared to 12% in the South East and


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12% in England. In 2008 the proportion of elementary occupations in Milton Keynes, had decreased to 12%, the same level as in the South East and in England. Skills remain the key to enhancing employment opportunities in the labour market in Milton Keynes or anywhere else in the country. Skills for Life data showed that literacy and numeracy at level two were low among the working age population in Milton Keynes wards where historically there have also been high levels of unemployment. These wards include Woughton, Eaton Manor, Campbell Park and Wolverton. A survey of Milton Keynes businesses undertaken in June 2010 showed that all large businesses which responded to the Business Needs Survey had engaged in recruitment activity compared to 57% of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) which responded. Recruitment difficulties were more prevalent in large businesses, as 17% received no applications and 83% found candidates to be lacking technical expertise. About 10% of SMEs received no applications for roles while 55% reported candidates to be unsuitable. Both large businesses and SMEs reported a lack of generic and technical skills among applicants. The survey highlighted shortages in generic, management and technical skills. In some cases recruitment difficulties reflect one or more of the following: child care difficulties, transport difficulties, unsocial hours, and low wages. Future growth prospects in Milton Keynes are encouraging. Forecast percentage changes to total gross value added (GVA) year on year between 2010 and 2030 showed smaller growth in 2010 (1.3%) but total GVA was expected to rise to 2.9% in 2011 and to keep improving at greater proportions in Milton Keynes than in the South East and UK. Future job increases in Milton Keynes by sector between 2010 and 2030 are expected in finance, business and other market services (36.5%), distribution and hotels (8.7%), transport and communications (8.1%) and construction (3.8%). The public sector cuts are likely to have a considerable impact on child poverty as such things as a freeze in benefits and a squeeze on tax credits are likely to hit those on low incomes most severely. At the same time there is also likely to be a reduction in the capacity of the public sector to commission work intended to help the vulnerable or those with low income. Efficiency savings are beginning to be evidenced through reductions in jobs within the public sector and will have knock on effects on any business that has public sector organisations as customers, commissioners, etc. 4.2.2 Unemployment (Local Economic Assessment, 2011) The child poverty fact sheet (published as part of the Child Poverty Needs Assessment Toolkit) states that children in workless households have a 59% chance of living in relative poverty. The start of the recession saw unemployment in Milton Keynes rise from 1.9% in January 2008 to its highest levels during the recession at 4.7% in August and September 2009 and again in January 2010. Since January 2010 unemployment in


18

Milton Keynes fell to 3.4% in December 2010, compared to 2.4% in the South East and 3.6% in the UK. Figure 3 shows that unemployment has fallen faster in Milton Keynes than in the South East and England since January 2010. There were 5,474 people claiming jobseekers allowance in Milton Keynes in December 2010. Figure 4: Unemployment Rates (claimants) Milton Keynes, South East and UK, Dec 2000 – Dec 2010 (NOMIS)

0.00.51.0

1.52.02.53.03.5

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Analysis of unemployment by ward showed high levels in Campbell Park (6.3%), Eaton Manor (6%), Woughton (6.1), Bletchley and Fenny Stratford (5.1%), and Bradwell (4.8%) in December 2010. Nine wards in Milton Keynes had unemployment rates which were over the Milton Keynes average of 3.4%. In all these wards the majority of the claimants have worked in, and/or are looking for jobs in elementary occupations, indicating that low skills levels are an issue. 4.2.3 Youth unemployment Unemployed young people aged under 20 years made up 6.1% of the unemployment claimant count in December 2010 whilst those aged 20 to under 24 years of age made 14% of the claimant count. The population of young people aged 17 – 19 years, who are not in education employment or training (NEET) can be divided into two sub-groups: those who are available for education, employment and training (EET) and those who are not available. The number of young people who were not available for EET each month has been essentially constant (150 to 220) since December 2005 (figure 5). At least 70% of those who were not available were females who were either pregnant or caring for their own child.


19

Since March 2009, between 460 and 540 young people were NEET and were available for EET each month. At the end of June 2010 the following wards had the highest proportions of young people who were NEET: Woughton (14.11%), Denbigh (11.83%), Eaton Manor (11.52%) and Campbell Park (11.08%). Analysis of the cohort of young people who were NEET at this time showed that almost 20% were educated at an out of area school in year 11. This means that they either moved to Milton Keynes post 16 years of age, or lived in Milton Keynes but went to school elsewhere. Figure 5: young people aged 17 – 19 years, who are NEET

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Table 6: Latest Milton Keynes data for National Indicators associated with education, employment and training.

Previous annual

LATEST 2010/11 Nat SN

averageEMPLOYMENT AND SKILLS

NI 118 Take up of formal childcare by low income working families (latest data refer to 2008/09) 21.6 22.7 23.5 17.8 20.7

NI 117 % young people aged 16-18 who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) 5.8 5.1 5.9 6.0 5.6

NI 148 % of care leavers aged 19 who are in education, employment or training 67.9 71.4

YTD 70.0 62.1 67.0

NI 45* Proportion of young offenders who are in suitable education, employment or training (%) 68.3 63.5

YTD 75 73.3 -

* Local authorities are no longer required to report this indicator

Ref IndicatorMK ACTUAL Target

2010/11 Trend

LATEST BENCHMARK

Key to Table 6 RAGB Ratings:-Blue: Performance is 10% or more above target Green: Performance is on target Amber: Performance is 0.01-9.99% below target Red: Performance is 10% or more below target


20

The trend arrow compares latest performance to the previous quarter, where available, otherwise previous annual has been used. A recent report on Milton Keynes young people who are NEET identified poorer outcomes for young offenders who were supervised by the Youth Offending Team (YOT) and for care leavers. In an annual snapshot (June 2010) more than 50% of the 16 to 19 year olds who were being supervised by the YOT and more than 30% of care leavers were not in EET. Similar rates were found for young offenders in the previous two snapshots, but the rate for care leavers represents considerable improvement. The equivalent figure for all Milton Keynes young people aged 16 to 19 years was less than 7%. This suggests that young offenders and care leavers may be at risk of continued or future poverty. Young offenders may have increased risk as a criminal record could affect employment opportunities. The YOT provided figures showing the ward of residence for the young offenders that they began working with during October to December 2010 (inclusive). In total, the YOT began working with 85 young offenders during that period. The wards identified most frequently are shown in Figure 5 (below). Figure 6: number of young offenders by ward of residence

0 2 4 6 8 10 12

Whaddon

Wolverton

Bradwell

Eaton Manor

Campbell Park

Bletchley and Fenny Stratford

Stantonbury

Loughton Park

Woughton

Wards such as Woughton, Eaton Manor and Campbell Park have also been associated with high rates of child poverty, unemployment and young people who are NEET but similar associations have not been identified for Loughton Park.


21

Employment and parental skills: summary Woughton, Eaton Manor and Campbell Park were identified as the wards with the highest percentages of children living in poverty. These wards were also associated with high levels of unemployment and low skills, and the highest percentages of young people who were NEET. This might reflect the transmission of poverty from one generation to the next, a trend that could be further perpetuated by the young people who are NEET because they are pregnant or caring for their own child. The NEET data also suggest that care leavers and young offenders may have an increased risk of poverty. Skills are key to enhancing employment opportunities and businesses have reported difficulties in attracting job applicants with technical expertise. It appears that the unemployed who have low skills are at particular risk of poverty. Despite identifying wards where poverty and risks factors occur at higher rates, it is clear that other wards are not exempt from these issues. 4.3 Life chances Deprivation is linked to worse outcomes for children and young people in a range of areas. Socio-economic disadvantage has been shown to be both a cause and a consequence of these outcomes. 4.3.1 Referrals to Children's Social Care The following represent some of the important, commonly agreed indicators that families and children are experiencing problems: Absence from school Exclusion from school Failure to progress satisfactorily in school Teenagers not in education, employment or training Anti-social behaviour Bullying as perpetrator or victim Under 18 conceptions Contact with the criminal justice system as perpetrator or victim Referrals to Children’s Social Care Obesity Dental caries

The problems cited above present as difficulties at the level of the individual family or local estate, although they frequently emerge as a consequence of a range of wider adverse social circumstances. For example: Lack of community cohesion Poverty -- financial and aspiration


22

Adult unemployment Homelessness Frequent housing moves Parental Ill health or disability Substance or alcohol misuse Domestic violence Poor parenting Parental neglect and abuse Parental involvement with the criminal justice system

Children who are safe and cared for and who do well in school are more likely to experience positive outcomes and better life chances. Children and young people who are not well cared for and who do not do well in schools are those who cause concern for teachers and other professionals and who are at risk of becoming entrenched in an escalating spiral of social problems. Table 7 below shows that high population estates, such as Bletchley and Newport Pagnell, produced higher numbers of referrals, but lower incidence when figures are expressed as a proportion of the child population (0-17 years). Incidence is highest in the most socio-economically deprived areas of Milton Keynes where the take up of benefits, free school meals, and levels of unemployment are also at their highest. Table 7: referrals to Children’s Social Care in 2009/10 Estate

Number of Referrals

Referrals as % of 0-17

population

Estate referrals as % of all referrals

Social Atlas Rank

Water Eaton 293 10.9% 8.2% 6 Fishermead 176 12.4% 4.9% 9 West Bletchley 148 6.5% 4.2% 24 Netherfield 145 12.7% 4.1% 2 Newport Pagnell 125 3.8% 3.5% 68 Far Bletchley 121 7.9% 3.4% 27 Beanhill 110 20.9% 3.1% 1 Oldbrook 93 6.3% 2.6% 22 Fullers Slade 85 13.9% 2.4% 5 Conniburrow 84 9.3% 2.4% 7 Broughton & Atterbury 82 11.2% 2.3%

36

Wolverton 80 4.6% 2.2% 32 New Bradwell 73 9.8% 2.1% 14 Coffee Hall 71 12.5% 2.0% 4 Greenleys 71 11.1% 2.0% 16 Stantonbury 69 7.5% 1.9% 10 Bradville 68 5.9% 1.9% 21 Heelands 66 7.7% 1.9% 26 Central Bletchley 60 7.1% 1.7%

25

Hodge Lea 50 15.5% 1.4% 15 Stacey Bushes 41 13.0% 1.2% 8 Tinkers Bridge 35 12.5% 1.0% 3 Fenny Stratford 35 12.5% 1.0% 11 Central Milton Keynes 34 17.8% 1.0%

19


23

4.3.2 Looked after children 2007-10 A 2010 report considered the distribution of referrals to Children's Social Care which resulted in children becoming looked after (new episodes), by settlement areas. The report also considered any changes in trends which could indicate the effectiveness of early interventions or preventative services available within those areas The report shows that whilst most newly looked after children tend to come from areas of socio-economic disadvantage, this is by no means the whole picture. There are only a small number of these settlements, i.e. Netherfield, Water Eaton and Fishermead which continue over time to feature in the list of estates with the highest level of newly looked after children. Other areas such as Bradville, Wolverton and West Bletchley have fluctuating numbers, and some new areas (Broughton and Newport Pagnell) began to feature in 2009/10. Some of the other high need areas – Conniburrow and Fullers Slade - have seen a steadily reducing number of children becoming looked after over time, which may indicate the success of preventative services operating in those areas. 4.3.3 Education Years shown in the education section refer to the academic year end. Foundation Stage Profile (FSP) is an assessment of children in reception year (aged 5) in primary schools. A national indicator (NI 72) measures achievement of at least 78 points across the Early Years Foundation Stage with at least six in each of the scales in Personal Social and Emotional Development and Communication, Language and Literacy. In recent years a growing proportion of Milton Keynes children have achieved the required standard for NI 72 such that performance is now better than statistical neighbour and national averages (figure 7). Figure 7: Percentage of children achieving the required standard in NI 72

NI 72: % of children achieving standard

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However, Milton Keynes pupils who live in the most deprived areas do not do as well as Milton Keynes pupils as a whole. This attainment gap has narrowed considerably from 2009 to 2010, such that it is now smaller than the equivalent national figure (figure 8). Nevertheless, it is important to recognise that a gap still exists as 18% of Milton Keynes children aged 0 – 15 years live in the 30% most deprived Lower Super Output Areas of England. Figure 8: Impact of deprivation on FSP achievement

NI 72: percentage point gap between all pupils and those living in the 30% most deprived national LSOAs

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Key Stage 2 (KS2) is the stage of the National Curriculum between ages eight and 11 years. There are a number of national indicators relating to tests taken by pupils at the end of KS2, some of which are reported in table 8 below. KS2 results for Milton Keynes in 2010 cannot be considered to be representative, particularly when broken down by characteristics such as ethnicity, as 19 schools took part in the national boycott of KS2 tests. However data available suggests that some black and minority ethnic groups do less well when compared to all pupils who took tests. When data is analysed by ethnicity and eligibility for Free School Meals (FSM), it shows that for some groups poverty is the key factor rather than ethnicity, whilst for others e.g. Black Somali pupils, there is evidence of underperformance against the local average, irrespective of poverty factors. Looked after children also appear to do less well, but the cohort was very small and included teacher assessment where tests were boycotted. Eligibility for free school meals is generally considered to be an adequate proxy for child poverty. Attainment data can be analysed by eligibility for free school meals to identify the impact of poverty on these outcomes. At GCSE, Milton Keynes pupils not eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) continue to outperform those who are known to be eligible (figure 9). The gap in the proportion achieving five or more A*-C grades at GCSE narrowed considerably between 2006/07 and 2009/10. There has only been a small decrease in the equivalent gap in attainment of five or more A*-C grades at GCSE including English and mathematics as attainment has increased at similar rates in both groups.


25

Data reported in table 8a (below) are the latest figures for the 2009/10 academic year, unless otherwise stated. This also shows that looked after children did less well at GCSE in comparison to all Milton Keynes pupils, and in comparison to national averages. Again, caution is required because of the very small cohort. Figure 9: GCSE attainment in Milton Keynes by free school meal eligibility

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Table 8a: National Indicators measuring attainment in Milton Keynes at 31 December 2010 (please see table 6 for key)

Previous annual

LATEST Q3 2010/11 Nat SN

average

NI 92 Gap between lowest achieving 20% in the EyFS and the rest (%) 33.3 30.7 30 32.7 30.6

NI 73 % of pupils gaining level 4+ at KS2 including English & Maths 70.5 74.5 77 74.0 75.6

NI 99 % of looked after children reaching level 4+ at KS2 English 55.6 22.2 40 45.0 -

NI 100 % of looked after children reaching level 4+ at KS2 Maths 55.6 11.1 40 44.0 -

Latest figures for NI 99 and NI 100 are based on a very small cohort (9). Results include teacher assessment where tests were boycotted.

NI 102i Achievement gap between pupils entitled to free school meals and their peers achieving level 4 at KS2 (%) 24.3 24.7 20 21 (p) -

KEY STAGE 4

% of pupils achieving 5+ A*-C at GCSE including English and maths 48.0 54.4 53 53.4 57.7

NI 101 % looked after children achieving 5+ A*-C GCSEs inc English and maths 6.7 4.8 20.0 11.6 -

NI 102ii Achievement gap between pupils entitled to free school meals and their peers achieving level 4 at KS2 (%) 28.9 27.4 21 28 (p) -

(p) indicates a provisional figure

Ref IndicatorMK ACTUAL

Target 2010/11 Trend

LATEST BENCHMARK

KEY STAGE 2: Milton Keynes results at KS2 might not be representative as 19 schools took part in the national boycott of the KS2 tests in 2010

NI 75 Latest figure is based on schools with whom we agree targets. This does not include PECs or the academy.

NB Department for Education suppressed data for indicators concerned with Looked After Children and did not publish them nationally due to small numbers.


26

Tables 8b and 8c identify the Milton Keynes groups that have lower attainment at the specified standard at Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4, in comparison to the equivalent national figures. Shading indicates significant areas of underperformance (i.e. at least five percentage points less than the national average for the same group). On a national level, it has been identified that attainment is particularly low among White British boys who are eligible for free school meals. Figures indicate similar outcomes in Milton Keynes. The Black African group can also be identified as having significantly lower attainment in comparison to the equivalent national average and in comparison to overall figures for Milton Keynes. In 2010, less than 20% of Black African boys in Milton Keynes achieved five or more A* - C at GCSE, including English and Maths, but more than 50% of Black African girls achieved that standard. Table 8b: Key stage 2 results for Milton Keynes ethnic groups that are low attaining in comparison to national averages

Key Stage 2 test results

Pupil Characteristics MK 2009 MK 2010 National 2010

All Pupils 3006 70.5 74.3 73.5

Pakistani 76 67.9 61.1 67.5Bangladeshi 47 64.3 65.6 72.0Any other Asian 51 67.7 62.9 75.7Chinese 17 84.6 73.3 84.8

% of pupils achieving Level 4+ English & MathsMK

cohort 2010

Table 8c: Key stage 4 results for Milton Keynes groups that are low attaining in comparison to national averages

Key Stage 4 results

Pupil Characteristics MK 2009 MK 2010 National 2010

All Pupils 2831 48.1 50.3 54.8

White Irish 10 61.1 55.6 63.4Any Other White 113 44.0 44.2 50.6Mixed White Black Caribbean 42 46.5 35.7 45.3Mixed Other 36 57.9 52.8 57.8Pakistani 74 25.6 44.6 49.1Bangladeshi 30 40.7 46.7 53.7Any other Asian 45 63.2 40.0 57.6Black African 161 41.4 36.0 52.8Black Other 33 35.3 42.4 45.8

White British Boys Eligible for Free School Meals 90 13.6 16.7 22.8

White British Girls Eligible for Free School Meals 94 17.4 26.6 27.9

% of pupils achieving 5+ A* - C including English & MathsMK

cohort 2010


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4.3.4 Poverty and health inequalities A range of health-related outcomes are linked with deprivation. NHS Milton Keynes provided a document called Making the links between poverty and regeneration to the Health and Wellbeing Partnership Group in December 2009. The document reported that:

Poverty is associated with a higher risk of both illness and premature death and therefore is directly linked to health inequalities.

The Department of Health set out the two measures of health inequality to be used in England: expectation of life; and infant mortality.

Life expectancy at birth varies significantly according to social class, with professional men expecting to live to around 80 years and unskilled manual men to 72.7 years. For women, the figures are 85.1 and 78.1 years.3

The risk of infant mortality is higher for poor children. In the lower social group (routine and manual occupations) infant mortality is 5.9 deaths per 1,000 live births. This is 20% higher than the average 4.9 per 1,000.4

Poorer children on average experience poorer health during childhood and the effects of this last throughout their lives.

Three year olds in households with incomes below £10,000 are 2.5 times more likely to suffer chronic illness than children in households with incomes above £52,000.5

The infant mortality rate has reduced steadily in Milton Keynes in recent years and the gap between Milton Keynes and England and Wales has narrowed. Figure 10: Infant mortality rates

Infant mortality rates, 1997/1999 - 2006/2009

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1997-1999 1998-2000 1999-2001 2000-2002 2001-2003 2002-2004 2003-2005 2004-2006 2005-2007 2006-2009

3 Source figures are for England and Wales ‘Variations persist in life expectancy by social class’ October 2007 4 Department of Health, 2007, Review of the health inequalities infant mortalities PSA target 5 Source data is from the millennium cohort study, see ‘Unhealthy Lives: Intergenerational links between child poverty and poor health in the UK’ End Child Poverty Campaign, 2008


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Data regarding life expectancy has been sourced from MKi. The latest life expectancy figure for Milton Keynes (2004 – 2008) was 79.3 years. Male life expectancy is 77.3 years, compared to female life expectancy of 81.3 years. This means that male life expectancy is now three months above the national average and female life expectancy is two months below it. These overall figures hide some substantial differences between areas within Milton Keynes. Looking at the population’s average life expectancy at birth, a number of wards’ position (relative to other wards in Milton Keynes) have been quite consistent in recent years. Danesborough, Hanslope Park, Linford North, Middleton, Newport Pagnell South, Olney, Stantonbury and Stony Stratford wards have had above average life expectancy. Eaton Manor, Walton Park, Whaddon and Woughton have had below average life expectancy. The latest set of data show that the gap in life expectancies between the ward with the highest (Middleton) and the ward with the lowest (Woughton) has increased, to over 11 years nine months. This is because of the very high life expectancy seen in Middleton (86.2 years). Woughton has the lowest life expectancy (74.4 years), but this has risen by around 1 year since the previous calculations. Studies have shown an association between low birth weight, deprivation and the chance of suffering ill-health later in life. Fig 11: Low birth weights 1999-2007

4.3.5 Obesity The Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) 2008 identified that the underlying causes of poor educational attainment are similar – if not the same – as those causing poor health. Levels of smoking, teenage pregnancy and tooth decay are all higher in the areas of deprivation. The JSNA identified a strong relationship between poorer exam results and health issues such as childhood obesity for school cluster


29

groups in Milton Keynes i.e. in areas with high levels of obesity, GCSE results are not as good. This does not mean that being overweight causes a child to fail exams, or vice versa; the common factor in both of these is socio-economic deprivation. The results of the National Child Measuring Programme (NCMP) have continued to show that there is a positive relationship between deprivation and obesity prevalence in both Reception and Year Six children, which has provided a focus for health services during 2010. Healthy weight leads have been established in the GP surgeries to highlight the importance of treating obesity and referring patients to the services available across Milton Keynes. As well as work within Sure Start children's centres, the work of community health dieticians has been expanded to work in other early years settings e.g. Pre-schools, encouraging obesity prevention as well as cure. Work is prioritised to settings in those areas with highest levels of obesity at Reception in the NCMP, and within the ten most socio-economically deprived areas. Figures from the NCMP show that the proportion of reception age children in Milton Keynes who are overweight or obese has remained below the national average. However, 17.3% of year six pupils were obese in 2009/10, which is significantly higher than the national average of 14.5%. The Motiv8 programme run by MK Dons has specifically targeted schools where obesity levels are higher to encourage take up of the ten week programme they offer. Additionally, school nurses proactively encourage engagement from parents of children who are found to be overweight or obese when measured. Table 9: Percentage of children who were overweight or obese when measured (reported by academic year)

Overweight Obese Overweight Obese Overweight Obese Overweight ObeseReception 13 9.9 13 9.6 13.2 9.6 13.3 9.8Year 6 14.2 17.5 14.3 18.3 14.3 18.3 14.6 14.5Reception 12.6 8.9 12.1 8.3 12.8 13.8 12.8 8.9Year 6 13.7 16.2 13.9 16.3 8.8 16 14.3 16.4Reception 14.3 10.1 13.3 13.9 12.6 9.4 12.7 9.5Year 6 14.2 17.7 12.1 16.1 14.7 15.9 14.5 17.3

85% 94% 88% 90%

2006/2007 2007/2008 2008/2009 2009/2010

England

MK Participation Rate

Milton Keynes

South Central

Source: National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) NCMP data (2008/09 academic year) for reception year children has also been analysed by children’s centre reach area. Obesity rates ranged from less than 5% (children’s centre located in Oxley Park) to more than 13% (children’s centre located in Fishermead and Fullers Slade). Fishermead and Fullers Slade are among the 10 estates with most difficulties in Milton Keynes (MK Social Atlas, 2010). In contrast Oxley Park was ranked at 76, indicating considerably fewer difficulties. Comparable figures for the more rural catchment areas surrounding children’s centres at Hanslope and Newport Pagnell were 8.6% and 9.4% respectively. This is slightly less than the Milton Keynes average for reception year children (9.6%).


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Figure 12: Percentage of Milton Keynes children who were overweight or obese

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4.3.6 Other health-related outcomes Data reported in table 10 below are the latest figures for the 2010/11 financial year. The same key applies as detailed for table 6. Table 10: Milton Keynes data for health-related indicators that might be associated with child poverty (at December 2010)

Previous annual

LATEST Q3 2010/11 Nat SN

average

HEALTH-RELATED INDICATORS

NI 53 Percentage of infants being breastfed at 6-8 week health check 54.0 55.0YTD 60.2 45.2 46.3

NI 55 Obesity in Reception year children (% who are obese) 9.4 9.5 10 9.8 8.9

NI 56 Obesity in Year 6 children (% who are obese) 15.9 17.3 16 18.7 17.9

NI 112 Change in under 18 teenage conception rates from 1998 baseline (%) -20.3 -19.1

YTD -41.0 -12.7 -13.9

NI 126 % of women who have seen a midwife or maternity healthcare professional by 12 completed weeks of pregnancy 82.49 87.0

YTD 90.07 - -

Trend

LATEST BENCHMARK

Ref IndicatorMK ACTUAL

Target 2010/11


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Life chances: summary It has been shown earlier that the most deprived areas of Milton Keynes are associated with higher unemployment, lower skills and child poverty. In addition, this section has shown that those who live in the most deprived areas also did less well in early years education. If children do not get the best possible start in the early years, they might continue to lag behind throughout their school career. In Milton Keynes, educational attainment was lower for those who were eligible for free school meals and for looked after children. Particularly low attainment was identified in the following groups: Mixed White/Black Caribbean; Black African boys; White British boys who were eligible for free school meals. Such outcomes may increase the chance that those who experience poverty as a child have a greater chance of experiencing poverty as an adult. The data also demonstrated that life expectancy is lower and the prevalence of obesity is higher in the most deprived areas of Milton Keynes. More referrals to Children's Social Care originate from these same areas, indicating that the risk of family breakdown is higher as is the need for support and intervention from external agencies rather than within wider family or community networks. 4.4 Place MKi reports the following headlines: • At 1 April 2010 there were 101,363 dwellings in Milton Keynes. • The average house price in Milton Keynes in April 2010 was £154,391 and

average gross full time earnings were £26,678. • 11.4% of dwellings are council rented, 7.7% are registered social landlord rented. • Council rented dwellings account for more than 50% of dwellings in Netherfield

and Beanhill estates. Registered social landlord rented dwellings are most common in Stantonbury Park (42.7%) and Leadenhall (36.8%).

The Local Economic Assessment (2011) reported the following information from a comprehensive study of current and future housing requirement and housing need (Strategic Housing Market Assessment, 2009): • Overall a total of 12,404 households (12.6%) were assessed as living in

unsuitable housing due to one or more factors including poor amenities and conditions, overcrowding, support needs, home too difficult to maintain and tenancy/mortgage under notice.

• Tenure based variations showed that only 8.9% of owner-occupiers in Milton Keynes were in unsuitable housing, compared to 21.7% of those who rented privately and 26.9% of households renting from a social landlord.

• Young children and young adults were more likely to live in unsuitable housing. • 24.5% of lone parent households and 35% of groups of adults with dependent

children were living in unsuitable housing.


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Over the past few years Milton Keynes has seen a reduction in homelessness, reduced use of temporary housing and reduced use of bed and breakfast accommodation. With the new housing developments that were started in the last three years, it has been possible to find new homes of good standard for many households. The total number housed peaked at 2,362 in 2009/10. Recently Milton Keynes has seen a dramatic reduction in the number of family properties becoming empty in both the private and public sector. The supply of new homes is also near exhausted which has led to a major increase in homeless applications and use of bed and breakfast accommodation during 2010. Homelessness in 2010/11 is expected to more than double to 190 households, compared to the year before. The total number of households being found homes is likely to decrease by 500 compared to the previous year. Changes in the level of housing benefit paid to private sector households will reduce from April 2011. This will undoubtedly lead to increased pressure on household budgets and private tenants losing their homes if they cannot pay their rent (or shortfall in benefit entitlement). Although the council will have the opportunity to discharge homeless duties by using the private sector in the near future, which will relieve pressure on council owned housing stock, those households placed in the private sector could find themselves having to pay a higher proportion of their income towards their rent. In 2010, MKC accepted and concluded 2,639 housing applications from people identified as possibly having a housing need (including homelessness). Of those, 74 (3%) were received from young people aged 16 or 17 years. The main housing problem faced by this group was: parents no longer willing to accommodate them (45%) planned move from MKC care (18%) some form of harassment or violence (9%)

The council accepted a statutory duty to re-house 50% of the applicants aged 16 and 17 years. In total 289 (11%) of the 2,639 applications related to couples with children, and 628 (24%) were received from single parents. Of these 917 households with children, 542 were likely to be homeless within 90 days. The main housing problems faced by the households with children were:

termination of Assured Shorthold Tenancy (21%) some form of harassment or violence (17%)

A relatively small proportion (6%) of the households with children indicated that their main housing problem was due to rent arrears, mortgage arrears or repossession by the lender. It appears that harassment or violence is relatively common as an issue that might cause households with children to become homeless. It appears that this is most prevalent among single parents, and is often associated with the breakdown of a relationship.


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Children in homeless households may be at particular risk of prolonged poverty and poor outcomes. The increased use of bed and breakfast accommodation may mean that families are temporarily accommodated in a different area and children are no longer able to attend their regular nursery or school, as well as losing their usual social contacts and friendships. Where households are fleeing violence, bed and breakfast accommodation might add to their trauma. Some households in such circumstances may not have any opportunity to gather their possessions, further adding to their future poverty as they try to establish a new family home. 4.4.1 Data by estate Previous sections of this document have identified specific groups who are at risk of poor outcomes because of childhood poverty. This section will consider child poverty in two different types of geographic area:

the urban estates with most difficulties, where child poverty rates are highest the larger (i.e. total population of at least 350) of the rural, relatively affluent

estates where rates may be low but more barriers may limit access to services and support.

This approach aims to not only understand more about the main areas of deprivation, but also considers the small but significant pockets of poverty that can be found in rural areas. MKi brings together a wide range of social and economic indicators that give a quantitative description of all estates across Milton Keynes. These are used to provide an overall rank for each estate in the borough with one being the estate with the most difficulties. These figures are published annually as the Social Atlas. The Milton Keynes Social Atlas rank is similar to the IMD rank for many estates, but is preferred in this document as it is more current. This is shown in tables 11a, 11b, 12a and 12b (below) alongside the IMD 2007 MK rank (one = most deprived) and additional detail from the Social Atlas Datasets 2009/10. The Milton Keynes Social Atlas 2010 identified Beanhill and Netherfield as the estates with most difficulties. More than 50% of dwellings on these estates are council rented but it is not clear why they continue to achieve this status. It is possible that the services that are targeted at these estates are failing to deliver the desired outcomes. Alternatively, both estates might act as reception areas for families who require social housing as a consequence of difficulties in their lives. In total, four of the 10 estates with most difficulties are within Woughton ward, two are in Stony Stratford, one is mainly within Eaton Manor, one is in Campbell Park and one is in Stantonbury. The rate of housing and council tax benefit claims is highest in the estates with greatest difficulties, but the number of claimants is high in some rural areas, such as Olney and Woburn Sands. Newport Pagnell has a particularly high number of claimants (917) in comparison to other estates, although the rate (144.1) is lower than the Milton Keynes average. Newport Pagnell has the largest population (15,300) in comparison to other estates. West Bletchley, the second largest estate has a


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considerably smaller population of 9,650. The large numbers in Newport Pagnell appear to hide a significant pocket of poverty. Details of housing or council tax claimants could be used to target services at children in poverty. Table 11a: potential issues in Milton Keynes estates with greatest difficulties

per 1000 number per 1000 numberBeanhill 1 2 585.0 482 469.0 136Netherfield 2 1 546.4 671 420.7 260Tinkers Bridge 3 4 525.5 216 420.7 61Coffee Hall 4 3 495.2 461 388.5 122Fullers Slade 5 6 486.0 295 357.1 150Water Eaton 6 10 421.7 1465 291.4 530Conniburrow 7 14 486.8 643 333.3 177Stacey Bushes 8 8 456.7 295 415.9 89Fishermead 9 7 504.2 844 438.1 343Stantonbury 10 18 366.6 537 258.3 156Milton Keynes average 237.3 141.3

2007 MK Rank IMD

Free School MealsMar-2011

Housing/Council Tax BenefitsEstates /

settlements

Social Atlas Rank

2009/10

Table 11b: potential issues in Milton Keynes rural estates

per 1000 number per 1000 numberLittle Brickhill 45 58 158.2 28 0.0 0Woburn Sands 48 104 130.7 163 29.1 SMoulsoe 55 46 313.7 32 85.1 SEmberton 57 73 121.3 33 16.4 SNewport Pagnell 68 78 144.1 917 33.1 75Hanslope 71 107 123.3 127 57.6 14Castlethorpe 78 68 96.6 43 18.9 SBow Brickhill 80 58 96.6 23 56.6 SWavendon 83 75 81.0 29 27.0 SNorth Crawley 85 46 123.1 40 26.3 SLavendon 87 92 109.7 60 47.0 7Stoke Goldington 90 85 125.5 33 0.0 0Haversham / Little Linford 93 63 92.5 31 49.5 SOlney 99 109 121.4 343 32.1 31Sherington 100 79 92.5 36 43.8 S

2007 MK Rank IMD

Free School MealsMar-2011

Housing/Council Tax BenefitsEstates /

settlementsSocial Atlas

Rank 2009/10

Source: Mki Social Atlas Datasets 2009-10

Key to tables 11a and 11b Housing / council tax benefits (June 2010): rate expressed per 1,000 dwellings. NA indicates figures not available S indicates that figures have been suppressed due to small numbers (i.e. <10) Free school meal data is a snapshot of the number eligible on 7 March 2011. The rate per 1000 pupils has been calculated using figures from the 2010 School Census. When 2011 School Census data are available, it is likely that this will identify a higher number of pupils, resulting in a lower rate when rates are re-calculated.


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The number of children eligible for free school meals is a traditional indicator of disadvantage that shows large variation across estates. The Milton Keynes average is 14% of pupils and the highest is 47%, in Beanhill, the estate with most difficulties in terms of MKi Social Atlas, 2010. Rates are substantially lower in the rural areas but, again, numbers identify small but significant pockets of poverty in Hanslope, Olney and Newport Pagnell. Please see the key to tables 11a and 11b for further detail on the data. It has already been shown that educational attainment tends to be poorer among individuals who are eligible for free school meals and those who live in deprived areas. Data by estate show that although there is overlap between these two groups, there are also significant numbers of young people who receive free school meals while living in more affluent areas. The difficulties of this group might be compounded if access to services is also an issue. Little Brickhill (IMD 2007 rank = 58) has the highest rate of children with Special Educational Needs but this is an area of low population (400) and the rate is equivalent to fewer than 10 children. The most deprived areas also tend to have higher rates than Milton Keynes as a whole. The Milton Keynes average is 35.5 per 1000 pupils but the rate for Beanhill is three times higher. The estates with the highest numbers of children with Special Educational Needs were Water Eaton (87) and Newport Pagnell (59). The child poverty fact sheet (published as part of the Child Poverty Needs Assessment Toolkit) states that:

Teenage mothers are 22% more likely to be living in poverty than mothers giving birth aged 24 and over.

Children born to teenage mothers have a 63% higher risk of living in poverty have lower academic attainment and are at higher risk of economic inactivity in later life.

Table 12a: potential issues in Milton Keynes estates with greatest difficulties

per 1000 number per 1000 number per 1000 numberBeanhill 1 106.9 31 99.9 15 355.3 23Netherfield 2 72.8 45 143.6 36 365.6 55Tinkers Bridge 3 89.7 13 108.9 S 389.4 12Coffee Hall 4 70.1 22 81.4 12 343.9 19Fullers Slade 5 50.0 21 142.0 20 165.3 11Water Eaton 6 47.8 87 83.4 54 331.1 106Conniburrow 7 65.9 35 64.8 16 274.1 27Stacey Bushes 8 32.7 S 112.3 S 340.8 13Fishermead 9 48.5 38 128.6 39 146.0 24Stantonbury 10 66.2 40 69.8 17 277.1 27Milton Keynes average 35.5 61.9 282.2

Estates / settlements

Social Atlas Rank

2009/10

Special Eductional Needs

NOT Nursery Uptake

Teenage Conceptions

Source: Mki Social Atlas Datasets 2009-10


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Table 12b: potential issues in Milton Keynes rural estates

per 1000 number per 1000 number per 1000 numberLittle Brickhill 45 444.4 S 0.0 0 542.9 SWoburn Sands 48 87.4 S S S 614.3 33Moulsoe 55 21.3 S 0.0 0 588.6 SEmberton 57 32.8 S S S 559.2 SNewport Pagnell 68 26.0 59 33.8 32 291.3 97Hanslope 71 45.3 11 0.0 0 210.3 11Castlethorpe 78 47.2 S S S 428.7 11Bow Brickhill 80 75.5 S 0.0 0 382.9 SWavendon 83 27.0 S 0.0 0 158.6 SNorth Crawley 85 26.3 S S S 0.0 0Lavendon 87 26.8 S 0.0 0 361.7 10Stoke Goldington 90 58.8 S 0.0 0 158.6 SHaversham / Little Linford 93 0.0 0 S S 276.3 SOlney 99 21.7 21 27.7 11 165.6 26Sherington 100 21.9 S S S 395.0 S

Estates / settlements

Social Atlas Rank

2009/10

Special Eductional Needs

NOT Nursery Uptake

Teenage Conceptions

Source: Mki Social Atlas Datasets 2009-10 Key to tables 12a and 12b Children with Special Educational Needs (March 2010): Number of children aged 4 to 18 years statemented per 1,000 pupils. Teenage Conceptions (January 2008 - December 2009): Births and terminations for girls aged under 20 expressed as an annual average per 1,000 15 to 19 year old girls. NOT Nursery uptake (2010): Count of 3 and 4 year olds not attending a nursery or play school expressed per 1,000 3 and 4 year olds. S indicates that figures have been suppressed due to small numbers (i.e. <10) The estates with the highest teenage conception rates are Granby, Campbell Park, Central Milton Keynes, Broughton and Atterbury and Oxley Park. However, in all but Central Milton Keynes, the high rates are equivalent to small numbers (i.e. under 10) as the cohort size is small. Teenage conception rates also tend to be high in the most deprived areas, in comparison to Milton Keynes as a whole, but geographic variation is likely, in part, to reflect the geography of housing availability/provision for teenage mothers. The number of teenage conceptions in rural areas may be relatively small but those who go on to become teenage mothers are likely to face additional challenges. Young mothers might wish to remain in close proximity to family support but may then find it difficult to access services that aim to reduce the impact of child poverty. In addition, it might be difficult to access suitable housing in rural areas. Free early learning is one of the services provided to give all children the best start in life, regardless of financial status. All three and four year olds are entitled to 15 hours of free nursery education for 38 weeks of the year. Nursery place non-uptake might indicate that parents do not wish to make use of this entitlement, are unaware of this entitlement, or are simply unable to access an early education setting that can offer the free entitlement. Nursery place non-uptake was most prevalent in Denbigh East,


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Woburn Sands, Moulsoe and Clifton Reynes. In three of the four areas, high rates were equivalent to fewer than 10 children. In Woburn Sands 33 eligible children were not attending nursery. Although uptake was better in the most deprived estates, many of these did not achieve the Milton Keynes average. Water Eaton and Newport Pagnell had the highest number of three and four year olds who did not attend nursery (106 and 97 respectively). The 2010 refresh of the childcare sufficiency assessment suggested that there were sufficient nursery places across the borough. However, data were examined by relatively large geographic areas and the presence of any vacancies within an area was considered to indicate sufficiency, regardless of whether that provision was accessible to those who needed it. The 2011 childcare sufficiency assessment has adopted different methods, based on children’s centres reach areas and considers accessibility. This has identified areas where there are insufficient nursery education funded places. The results for 2011 will be available for inclusion in the next draft of this document. 4.4.2 Deprivation by school Deprivation can also be measured by the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (number of children in households in receipt of means tested low income benefits). MKi used these figures to analyse deprivation by school based on the address of each pupil and the index score (2007) of their resident area. There were three schools where the probability of a pupil living in an income deprived household was greater than 50%. Unsurprisingly these schools are located in Netherfield (Langland Community School), Fishermead (The Willows School and Early Years Centre) and Beanhill (Moorland Infant School), which are among the most deprived estates. In contrast, the probability of a pupil living in an income deprived household is lowest for schools in Olney (5%), Castlethorpe (6%), Stoke Goldington (6%) and similar rural areas. 4.4.3 Deliberate fire setting Safer MK data showed that there were 354 incidents of deliberate fire-setting during the first nine months of 2010. Table 13 shows the estates that had most incidents (i.e. 10 or more) during that period, alongside data for the previous year and Social Atlas rank. Six of the estates included in these figures are also among the 10 estates with most difficulties.


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Table 13: incidents of deliberate fire-starting

Jan - Dec2009

Jan - Sep2010

MK Social Atlas rank

2009/10Brickfields 2 10 43Coffee Hall 14 10 4Stantonbury 11 11 10Wolverton 19 13 32Fishermead 24 13 9Central Milton Keynes 17 15 19Conniburrow 19 15 7New Bradwell 10 17 14Netherfield 19 19 2West Bletchley 17 20 24Water Eaton 29 23 6

MK TOTAL 586 354 Place: summary Homelessness has been a growing issue in Milton Keynes in 2010 and is likely to continue to grow. Children in homeless households face additional risks of social exclusion and isolation, as well as poor outcomes. The estates with most difficulties are generally among the most deprived and tend to be found in the wards where child poverty is most prevalent. It is not clear why the estates with most difficulties maintain that position despite the resources that are targeted at them. Estates in more rural and affluent areas also have pockets of child poverty of varying size. In estates such as Newport Pagnell and Olney, the populations are relatively large, and pockets of poverty consist of a significant number of children, in comparison to some of the smaller, more deprived estates. However, children in these rural areas can be hidden by the general levels of affluence and may have particular difficulty in accessing services such as free nursery education. 5 Moving forwards Accountability for taking forward actions to address the findings from this needs assessment will rest with the newly established Milton Keynes Children and Families Partnership. The partnership will establish a multi-agency commission to develop recommendations for effective local strategies to tackle child poverty. The Children and Families Partnership will ensure that these strategies are then embedded in the planning and delivery of services in all relevant agencies and services, to achieve this best possible outcomes for children and young people in Milton Keynes.


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APPENDIX 1 – Child poverty basket of indicators Published by the Child Poverty Unit at http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/xls/c/basket%20of%20indicators.xls

summary for: Milton Keynes

What does this sheet tell us?

NI 116: Proportion of children in poverty

Number Percentage2006 10,550 19.02007 11,045 19.62008 11,255 19.6

For more information and definitions please refer to the technical note available at:http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/child_poverty.htm

The child poverty building blocks:

Parental employment and skills Life chances

NI number Value England Data point NI number Value England Data pointNI 118 Childcare take-up (low income working families) (%) 22.7 17.8 FY 2007/08 NI 076 Achievement of KS2 L4 in English & Maths (no.) 9 1,472 AY 2008/09NI 146 Adults with learning disabilities in employment (%) 13.1 6.8 FY 2008/09 NI 078 Achievement:5 A*-C GCSEs (English & Math) (no.) 2 - AY 2008/09NI 150 Working adults seeing mental health services (%) 9.8 3.4 FY 2008/09 NI 082 Inequality gap in achievement at L2 by 19 (%) 45.8 56.8 AY 2008/09NI 151 Overall employment rate (%) 77.4 73.0 CY 2008 NI 092 Achievement gap: low. 20% EYFSP & the rest (%) 33.3 33.9 AY 2008/09NI 151f Overall employment rate- female (%) 75.8 69.1 CY 2008 NI 101 Children in care achieving 5 A*-C GCSEs (%) - 9.8 AY 2008/09NI 151m Overall employment rate- male (%) 78.9 76.5 CY 2008 NI 102a FSM/non-FSM achievement gap at KS 2 and 4 (%) 24.3 24.3 AY 2008/09NI 161 Learners achieving L1 literacy qualification (no.) 1,395 320,542 AY 2008/09 NI 102b FSM/non-FSM achievement gap: 5A*-C GCSE (%) 28.9 27.8 AY 2008/09NI 162 Learners achieving numeracy L3 qualification (no.) 561 116,248 AY 2008/09 NI 105 SEN/non-SEN achievement gap (%) 47.8 46.5 AY 2008/09NI 163 Working age population qualified to at least L2 (%) 69.3 69.4 CY 2008 NI 106 Young people from low incomes entering HE (%) 21 18 AY 2007/08NI 166 Average earnings of employees in the area (no.) 526.2 495.2 FY 2009/10 NI 112 Under 18 conception rate (%) -20.3 -13.3 CY 2008

NI 117 16-18 yr old NEETs (%) 5.9 6.7 CY 2008

Place Financial support

NI number Value England Data point NI number Value England Data pointNI 156 Households in temporary accommodation (no.) 80 53,370 Q3 2009/10 NI 153 People claiming out of work benefits (%) 31.5 31.2 Aug 2009NI 158 (non) Decent council homes (%) 28.0 22.0 FY 2008/09 NI 181 Time to process HB/CTB new claims (no.) 15 - Q2 2009/10NI 172 VAT registered businesses showing growth (%) 13.9 14.2 CY 2008NI 176 Working people with access to public transport (%) 83 - CY 2008NI 187a People on IB in homes with low energy ratings (%) 6 - FY 2008/09NI 187b People on IB in homes with high energy ratings (%) 39 - FY 2008/09

Notes:1). " - " means there are no data available for this indicator2). Clicking in the cell containing the indicator number will bring up further information below:

In Milton Keynes there were 11255 children living in income deprived families in 2008, this accounted for 19.6% of all the children in the area. The child poverty level in Milton Keynes ranks in the middle 50 percent of local authorities in England.

The basket of indicators have been chosen from the current National Indicator Set (NIS) and most closely reflects the drivers of child poverty that can be influenced by local authorities and their partners.

Definition: The proportion of children living in families in receipt of out of work (means-tested) benefits or in families in receipt of tax credits whose reported income is less than 60% of median income

This sheet displays a summary of the latest data for the basket of indicators for Milton Keynes. This can be changed by selecting the required local authority from the drop down list above.

Description Description

Description Description

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Percentile rank within EnglandHighest 25% Lowest 25 %

Milton Keynes

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