Benjamin Myers and Anna Barker correctly point out increasing poverty among the permanent residents of Durham (My home town: How Durham changed under Conservative rule, 9 July). I have spent my career as a GP serving the local population and my family home remains in the city centre. My children attended local state schools.
Poverty was an issue in the 1980s, particularly around the time of the miners’ strike. Twenty-five per cent of children attending my children’s primary school were in receipt of free school dinners. The number eligible for free school meals is a good measure of poverty in the area. Now, in the time of my grandchildren, the proportion of pupils receiving free dinners is more than 50%. In addition, it has been common for children to come to school without having had any breakfast. Underfunding of the school has led to the loss of two teachers this year and some of the year groups have had to merge as a result.
In the meantime, the highly rated university appears to focus on income and profit rather academic performance. The focus is on foreign students as they can be charged more, and students of high-income households who can afford the fees and the higher rental charges in the city centre. Student numbers have increased from 5,000 to around 22,000 in my 40-plus years here and this has pushed rental prices up and forced many local residents out of town. Tertiary education has become the domain of wealthier families again.
The dignitaries who have responded to Myers’ article have pointed out the splendid cultural events that take place in Durham (Letters, 17 July). And these events are good. But they do little to reduce the poverty that too many households in the region have to endure.
Dr Martin Judson
Durham
