Poverty in Lincoln James Wilkinson Policy and Strategic Information Officer

Deprivation Seven areas in Lincoln are considered deprived by national standards 11,000 Lincoln residents live in areas considered deprived One area in the south of the city features amongst the top 1% of deprived areas in England Deprivation is measured by a mixture of low income, poor educational attainment, unemployment, poor health, housing, access to services, and poor living environment

Child poverty There are 4,500 children in Lincoln living in low income families – accounting for 23.8% of children (compared to 20.1% in England) Two thirds of children in poverty live in lone parent families Two thirds of children in poverty are aged 10 or younger Rates are also high in Abbey, Moorland and Park Highest concentrations are in Birchwood, where one third of children are from low-income households, followed by Glebe, where 30% of children are Nationally, 4.7 million people in couple households with between 1 and 4 children (28%) lack the income required for an adequate standard of living

Fuel poverty There are 6,500 Lincoln households experiencing fuel poverty in Lincoln, accounting for 16.3% (compared to 11.0% in England) Fuel poverty is most commonplace in Carholme (1,345 households), Abbey (1,059 households) and Park (1,043 households) There are 7,700 non-decent owner occupied dwellings, and 3,700 non-decent privately rented dwellings in Lincoln There are 1,000 households in Lincoln with no central heating, accounting for 2.5% of households (compared to 2.7% in England)

Emergency support In 2013, there were 2,122 visits to Lincoln Community Larder This is a 54% increase since 2010 These visits resulted in 30,500 meals given out, 23,500 of which were adult meals, and 7,000 of which were child meals In its first 6 months, LCAS approved 1,130 applications in Lincoln – the highest for any district in Lincolnshire Countywide, of the 1,304 LCAS customers referred to the Citizens Advice Bureau, only 15% engaged with CAB services

Worklessness and low income There are 8,530 residents experiencing worklessness in Lincoln This accounts for 13.1% of working age residents, compared to 10.9% in England The most common cause of worklessness in Lincoln is disability and poor health – followed by unemployment There are 2,655 people claiming unemployment benefits in Lincoln This accounts for 4.1% of working age residents, compared to 3.6% in England The average salary amongst employed Lincoln residents is £19,000 pa, compared to £22,000 pa in England The 20% of employed lowest earners in the city are estimated to earn below £12,000 pa

Health = 1,000 Lincoln residents whose day- to-day activities are limited In Park ward, female life expectancy is 76.1 years, just outside of Lincoln in North Hykeham Forum, it is 91.9 years, a difference of 15.8 years. For males, life expectancy in Park is 73.4 years, compared to 82.0 years in North Hykeham Forum, a difference of 8.6 years. Of the Employment and Support Allowance claimants in Lincoln, 47.4% (1,540) are claiming for mental health and behavioural disorders, compared to 45.5% in England There are 17,000 residents whose day- to-day activities are limited due to a long- term health issue or disability (accounting for 18.5% of Lincoln residents. The England rate is 18.6%).

Poverty… it’s complex