STRUGGLING Colchester parents have said they cannot always afford to by their little ones birthday presents, after the extent of the city's child poverty "crisis" was laid bare.
Concerning new Government data has revealed one in eight children in Colchester - or 4,601 - were found to be living in poverty in the year ending March 2023.
The shocking figures, which have been released by the Department for Work and Pensions, show 1,357 of these children were below school age.
Parents in Colchester have now said they are "worried about the impact" day-to-day struggles they have to battle will have on their children, despite their best efforts to provide for them.
Zoe Louise, 34, is a single mum who lives in St Michaels, Colchester, with her two children Rubee, 8, and Theo, 3.
She said: "Since the holiday vouchers scheme has changed it’s been harder with money. Even during the school term, we’ve had hard times.
"I have had to borrow money from family members for electric bills and I have not been able to buy my son the present I wanted to get him for his birthday.
"I currently can’t work as I’m a single parent and until my son starts school there isn’t a way of working. Unless I work and then use all my wages for childcare.
"I do worry about the impact it might have on my children. My son doesn’t understand but my daughter knows there is a struggle with money.
"It’s living month to month and it’s awful not knowing if we can have days out and things like that."
Another Colchester mum, 24, whose child is only 15 months old, says she is also finding times incredible tough.
She said: "I have a little girl and we were in temporary accommodation and it wasn’t very fit for her.
"I just think there is support but you have to go through a maze and get back out again to receive it and sometimes they don’t make it accessible.
"Then going back to work with the whole childcare situation, it’s like they want you to work but make it hard for you to work.
"I believe this is a crisis for our children.
"I do worry because no one wants to bring a child into the world already at a disadvantage.
"Unfortunately I couldn’t help my situation but I fear the world will be harder and harder to live in as the years go by.
"If there isn’t change in the system it’s just going to be the same if not worse as the generations go on."
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Mel Stride said: “I know the last few years have been tough, with the aftershocks of Covid and the war of Ukraine driving up inflation and cost of living pressures.
“That’s exactly why we stepped in with the biggest cost of living package in Europe, worth an average of £3,800 per household, and this unprecedented support prevented 1.3 million people from falling into poverty in 2022-23.
“We’re also going further in April, by uprating benefits and pensions to support millions of people on the lowest incomes and extending the Household Support Fund to provide vital support for those most in need.”
A spokesperson for Colchester City Council said: “We recognise the challenges some families face and are committed to working alongside partners to ensure every child in Colchester has the opportunity to thrive.
“Whilst the data shows a decrease in child poverty in Colchester compared to the previous year, and a lower rate than the national average, even one child living in poverty is one too many.
“We are focussing on a number of initiatives to tackle this issue, including working to increase the availability of social housing and support schemes to help families afford their rent; offering various council tax reduction schemes and benefit support programs to help low-income families, and offering help and advice to ensure families claim the benefits they are entitled to.
"We are proud to work alongside our system partners across health, community, and voluntary sectors. This collaborative network helps us to identify, support and signpost those in need.
"It ensures we are collectively taking a holistic approach to people's health and the wider determinants linked to child poverty.
We have dedicated teams and officers who engage with our residents and community groups to support them in their times of need.
"Our Financial Equality & Wellbeing team, Digital Access Support team and Community and Partnership teams are all focused on working with communities and organisations to provide guidance and signposting to organisations who can provide relief and/or advice."
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