Angela Rayner has condemned “pretty disgusting” rates of child poverty in Newcastle.
Labour’s deputy leader spoke out on Friday as she visited the city, where more than 40% of young people are growing up in poverty.
Her comments came as she visited the “tremendous” new home of the Newcastle United Foundation, a multi-million pound sport and education hub near St James’ Park.
Go here for the latest regional affairs and North East politics news
Ms Rayner said that the community facilities at the NUCASTLE building in Diana Street would help lift youngsters out of poverty, tackle anti-social behaviour, and improve life chances in the city.
She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Having facilities like this is so important to young people and the wider community.
“The facilities here will be free as well, there will be activities here that the community can do, and it helps people to see that they can do whatever they want. They can achieve things if people invest in them, this is about investment in the community here and in young people.”
Latest figures from the End Child Poverty Coalition showed that the number of children classed as living in poverty has soared in the North East, jumping in Newcastle from 28.4% to 41.2% in Newcastle between 2015 and 2020.
Ms Rayner added: “41% is pretty disgusting when we are not a poor country, we are one of the wealthiest countries in the world. And yet we have got children that are not able to be fed.
“I have been very vocal with my disgust for the government, how they voted against Labour’s motions in Parliament looking at free school meals and food in school holidays.
“People here and across the North East understand how difficult it is, and these are working families by the way that are really struggling, and it blights your life.
“I was a kid from a poor background and Marcus Rashford has talked articulately about what it means to him and how it never leaves you, that feeling of poverty and of not being cared for by society never leaves you.
“That is why it is heart-breaking to see that since 2010 the Tories have been in power and unleashed the worst austerity to the North East, devastated it.
“When they say ‘levelling up’ it makes me really angry because all people here want is opportunity, they don’t want handouts or welfare payments, they want opportunity to have a good job, live in the area they grew up in, and provide opportunities for their kids. This government has ripped away those opportunities.”
Ms Rayner visited the NUCASTLE site with Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Kim McGuinness and watched local kids enjoying a half-term football coaching session on its rooftop pitch, which overlooks St James’ Park.
Ms McGuinness said: “I am from this part of the city and we had absolutely nothing like this growing up. The difference it will make to young people here and across the city is just incredible.”
She added: “Buildings like this alone won’t tackle poverty, but if we want to make a difference to people’s ongoing success, to preventing crime, to prevent people becoming victims of crime, we have to tackle poverty.
“41% of kids living below the poverty line in the city is unbelievable. The way we will lift them up is giving them access to things like good quality education, we need investment in public services, we need to make sure people have prospects to go onto good quality jobs.
“What the Newcastle United Foundation are doing in this building is bringing all those strands together so that people in this community have access to all the things they need under one roof. That has to be the sort of approach and investment we are giving to people across our region.”
