Coronavirus has 'shone a light' on poverty in Portsmouth

FOR many households across Portsmouth the coronavirus pandemic has brought a series of challenges both physical and mental.
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But for some the pressures of trying to financially support themselves or their family during an unprecedented time is taking its toll.

With parts of the city already ranked among the most deprived areas in England some of the repercussions of the virus - job losses, furlough and isolation - are shining a light on the growing issue of poverty in Portsmouth.

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Before the pandemic, Portsmouth was ranked the 59th most deprived local authority out of 326 in England in government statistics.

Mum-of-two Tara Keenan, of Lake Road, Landport in Portsmouth, talks about poverty in the city. Picture: Ben FishwickMum-of-two Tara Keenan, of Lake Road, Landport in Portsmouth, talks about poverty in the city. Picture: Ben Fishwick
Mum-of-two Tara Keenan, of Lake Road, Landport in Portsmouth, talks about poverty in the city. Picture: Ben Fishwick

The city is broken down into 125 areas by statisticians – and 15 are within the most deprived 10 per cent in England.

Eight of these areas are in Charles Dickens ward and the rest are in Paulsgrove, Nelson and Fratton and St Thomas.

On top of this, 28 per cent of households in the city have said their finances had been negatively impacted by coronavirus.

‘After rent I have just £179 a month’

Emma RankinEmma Rankin
Emma Rankin

Among them was 46-year-old Tara Keenan from Landport.

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The mum-of-two had to give up her job as a carer when the pandemic hit as she is clinically vulnerable due to suffering heart disease and diabetes.

Although she is able to claim universal credit it leaves her with just £179 a month after rent.

‘It was a case of heat the flat or pay the rent, it’s come down to that and now I’m in arrears,’ she said.

‘I’m not working because with Covid I’m not supposed to go anywhere.’

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‘I’ve always tried to be frugal, and it’s more so now because of our money situation.

‘There is a worry with money now because with the weather getting colder, we’re having to make sure we’ve got enough electric for the heating.’

About 20 per cent of children in Portsmouth live in poverty, data from 2018 shows.

Tara lives in Charles Dickens ward with her son and daughter, 24 and 21, and her daughter’s partner.

Charles Dickens ward among the most deprived in Britain

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According to government statistics the electoral ward is in the top one per cent of deprived wards in the country.

She is eligible for food bank parcels but said ‘these weren’t always enough to make a meal’.

‘I’m always looking for ways to make money stretch, or look out for reduced items,’ she said.

‘You can usually tell when people are struggling, sometimes I’ve noticed people would have duvets over their windows instead of curtains.

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‘I think these people need help but where’s the help during Covid?’

Council unveils six-point plan to tackle poverty

Last week Mark Sage, the council’s tackling poverty coordinator, revealed a set of priorities for reducing deprivation rates and mitigating the effects of poverty.

Speaking to cabinet members he said: ‘We need a response to the pandemic that can help reduce the amount of people in poverty and reduce the effects of poverty for people living in financial hardship.’

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Councillor Suzy Horton, the council’s education cabinet member, added: ‘Who would have thought in this day and age, in this rich country that we would see what we have seen over the last few weeks, which is people genuinely not being able to afford to feed themselves and their children?’

‘We’d be stupid to think Covid has caused this, we know these issues were there already, but what a big shiny light Covid has shone on our communities.’

Under the six stage plan the authority is looking to continue and extend projects that are already underway.

These include providing early support for tenants falling into rent arrears to prevent evictions.

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The council’s Switched On Portsmouth scheme aims to tackle fuel poverty by making households more energy efficient and helping residents cut down on their bills.

It has also pledged to support people with debt management and with maximising their income through understanding what financial support they can access.

And plans to improve access to employment and skills support, and to boost internet accessibility to all residents and schoolchildren, are part of the scheme.

‘It’s our job to care for all’

Deputy council leader, Cllr Steve Pitt, said: ‘It is our job to care for all members of our community and the vulnerable ones above all others in my view.’

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He added: ‘As a council, if you can’t help vulnerable people, there’s not much point in being a council.’

Labour councillor and Charles Dickens representative, Cllr Cal Corkery, warned that his ward had been ‘battered’ for years.

He said: ‘The past six months haven’t led to people becoming newly impoverished, actually a lot of the people that have suffered over the last six months are people that have been struggling to get by for a much longer period of time.’

Nine Portsmouth wards have higher rates of working-age adults seeking work and claiming out of work benefits than the country’s average.

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The highest rates are in Charles Dickens (9.4 per cent) and Nelson (10.6 per cent), compared to the UK average of 6.5 per cent.

To find out how the council can support you visit portsmouth.gov.uk or call (023) 9282 2251.

Fears raised for those who aren’t eligible for support

Government and council support is out there for those who are eligible - but for others there is a fear of falling through the cracks.

Somers Town mum-of-four Emma Rankin started a new removals business with her partner last year. However, this was quickly closed due to lockdown.

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The 36-year-old said: ‘The pandemic hit and we very quickly discovered that because we were a new business we were entitled to no help at all from the government.’

‘The only thing anyone could suggest is that we go on universal credit. Four of my children were born before 2013, when tax credit rules changed, which means I currently get tax credits for three children. If I went on universal credit I would only be paid for two children, so I would lose money.

‘We’ve had no help and we’ve had to just get on with it, on the tax credits we get during the week.’

She added: ‘We are scraping the barrel, relying on little bits and pieces from family’

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‘I’ve always experienced problems with poverty, I’ve got children, I’ve been a single mum, it’s not been an easy ride, but the pandemic has definitely made it so much worse.

‘I’m two mispayments away from losing my van, my tax credits do not cover that payment every month.’

‘Without a little bit of work, I’ve lost that van, I’ve lost the business. Without the business, there is no future income for us.

‘We don’t have a safety net, I’m incredibly worried.’

‘Portsmouth people face ever increasing cost of living’

A specialist researcher has said there are several challenges facing people experiencing poverty in the city.

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Jesse Shipp lives in Charles Dickens ward and is an ethnographer at the University of Southampton.

He spent two years studying poverty and deprivation in what is sometimes considered the ‘affluent south’.

He said: ‘When wages and benefits don’t go up but bills for everything do, when you are living hand to mouth, it is impossible to provide your family with a safety net.

‘When you are struggling to make ends meet you are more likely to live in conditions that impact your mental and physical health.’

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‘In terms of this during the current crisis these people are often working in poverty wages. Losing their jobs due to Covid or being furloughed meant that they are now having to take on all these challenges with even less money.’

However, he believed community projects established during the pandemic had been ‘amazing’.

‘I am so proud of the community solidarity projects in place such as Free my Meal Portsmouth and the Portsmouth Coronavirus Support Group,’ he said.

‘Helping Hands is a group of working-class women who provide home-made meals for those living on the streets. It is amazing what communities do to help the people in our city.’

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