It has long been discussed that England suffers from a North/South wealth inequality. This has only been exacerbated by cuts to public services in recent years. However, the evidence of the impact on children in the North compared to their Southern peers appears to be starker than many expected.  

A report released this week, prepared by the Child of the North All-Party Parliamentary Group published research that shows nine in every thousand children are in care in the North of England, compared with six out of every thousand in the south of England. It is said that this has been brought on by decades of underinvestment, along with health inequalities and families falling into poverty.  

The report concludes that £25 billion of public money would have been saved between 2019 and 2023 if the North had the same care entry rates as the South. Funding issues inevitably place pressures on services, which can lead to mistakes being made and potential human rights breaches and civil claims being more prevalent for children in the North.

Hopefully, it isn’t controversial to say that every child deserves the best chance in life, regardless of the postcode they grow up in. 

It is hoped that this report will further pressure political parties to make firm commitments to investment in children’s social services as part of their manifestos heading into the election year. 

You can read the report here.