Our city’s failing working class kids – it’s easier for teens to join a gang and make money from crime than get a job

“THERE’S just not a lot of hope left around here,” says Kelsey Percival, rocking her buggy to settle her five-week-old baby boy. The 21-year-old first time mum’s worries go beyond those of her little one’s sleep, or milk intake, as the pair live in an area which has the worst opportunities for working class children in the whole of England. Kelsey Percival, 21, and Brooke Hull, 21 spoke to The Sun about west Newcastle Credit: North News and Pictures Locals complain the area is covered in rubbish Credit: North News and Pictures Newcastle Central and West is a vast locality which is home to the city’s iconic quayside, famous Tyne Bridge, Castle Keep and upmarket bars and restaurants. However, it also includes a large residential area, taking in Blakelaw, Westerhope, Lemington, Fenham, Chapel House, Elswick, Scotswood and Benwell. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! And the figures are stark. If you are a white British child eligible for free school meals and live here, you can expect to earn just £13,734 by the age of 28. According to the report by educational charity the Sutton Trust, a mere 35 per cent of young people over the age of 16 in this demographic are in education or work at all. Meanwhile, only six per cent will complete a degree by the age of 22, and the area has been ranked bottom out of 543 constituencies for social mobility and outcomes for white British children. Residents tell us it’s easier for young people to make money from crime than it is to get a job, and the city is plagued by gang warfare. In Blakelaw, branches of Greggs and Farmfoods are doing a roaring trade during the lunchtime rush at the rundown Binswood Avenue shopping precinct, where a cash machine has been ripped out of a wall. Most read in The Sun We spoke to Kelsey and her friend Brooke Hull, 21, who believe Newcastle’s west end and its children are being overlooked in favour of kids in London. Brooke, a foster carer, said: “There is knife crime, and you hear about people getting raped which is scary as a young girl. Chloe Foley, 23, said kids are being brought up to think crime is acceptable Credit: North News and Pictures 14-year-old Gordon Gault, was fatally stabbed with a machete in November 2022 Credit: North News and Pictures “Raising kids, there just isn’t a lot to do. You’re always looking behind you when you walk down the street with your child. “Kids used to play outside but now they are getting arrested for stabbings and robberies. “I see children on bikes all the time – the other day I was almost wiped out by an e-bike. It’s shocking. “I only hope by the time my little girl is older there are parks for her to go to and community centres and help to get a job. “But there is a tight knit sense of community. We watch out for each other.” Kelsey, a stay-at-home mum, added: “It’s really hard to get work. Everything is closing down. There should be more groups for teenagers and help for them get jobs. “There’s just not a lot of hope left around here. Parents are doing their best, but mums are scared to let their kids go out. “The government focuses on funding for places like London but when it comes to the North East they lose interest. The west end of Newcastle has been left behind and kids are being failed.” The multicultural West Road cuts directly through the constituency and is a melting pot of South Asian, Middle Eastern and fast food restaurants, which sit alongside betting shops and international grocery stores. Chloe Foley, 23, who lives close by, said: “It was a lovely area when I was growing up but over the past ten years it has gone downhill. “There is litter everywhere, pouring out of bins, rats too. I think the environment has a huge impact on young people growing up around here. There is gang violence based off postcodes and they are all against each other. “Kids are being brought up to think that crime is okay and aren’t being supported to go to school. When I was a child, I used to play out with no worries. Now I have a little girl and I’d never let her out on her own.” Lawson Natty was found guilty of Gordon’s murder Credit: North News and Pictures Carlos Neto was also found guilty of manslaughter Credit: North News and Pictures In November 2022, 14-year-old Gordon Gault was stabbed to death with a machete after vying groups from Benwell and Elswick made derogatory rap videos about each another. Carlos Neto and Lawson Netty, both 18, were found guilty of his manslaughter and jailed for nine years and two months and two years and eight months respectively. They were also convicted of unlawful wounding in relation to a second victim. Chloe, a supervisor at a card shop, added: “I can’t even get off the bus without feeling scared. I was followed up the street while on my way to work the other day. “I once saw someone getting mugged on a street corner, in broad daylight. There are a lot of drug dealers around here, young boys who are still in school. They are already on that pathway – all they need is work.” For decades, Scotswood, Benwell and Elswick were fuelled by the mighty Elswick Works – one of the largest engineering complexes in the world. The entire area was built around the factory, from its founding in 1847, until its closure in 1979. Locomotives, tanks, bridges, warships and naval guns were among the industrial products manufactured at the plant, and terraced houses were built to accommodate tens of thousands of workers. But with decline of industry came unemployment, the closure of shops and pubs, empty homes and a concentration of poverty. Much of the area falls within the most deprived ten per cent nationally. Cleaner Maisie Mitchell, 35, said: “Kids are being left behind here. “Around here, the local park gets vandalised, kids drink alcohol and take drugs. They come out of school and fall into crime as they see no benefit in working. “They are just sponging. There are issues with prostitution and drug dealers everywhere.” Flowers and tributes were laid out for Gordon, who was stabbed over a postcode rivalry Credit: North News and Pictures Maisie Mitchell, 35, said kids are being left behind Credit: North News and Pictures Louise Hood, a 48-year-old office worker, added: “There aren’t a lot of opportunities here for kids. “I am not shocked that so many teenagers are out of work. Most of the 16-year-olds close to where I live are hooligans. “They are into crime and drugs. That’s how a lot of them get their money. I have two adult kids and they are both in work. “My son is 20 and he didn’t start work until he was 19. He went to college for a while and he was out of work for a year, because he couldn’t get a job. “You see a lot of young people not really doing much, just hanging around on motorbikes, and in the parks. It’s such a waste.” Sofia Bowers, 19, grew up in the area, but is now a student of history and war at York University. She said: “I am not massively shocked by the data even though I am at uni, and my sister went to Cambridge. It’s the kind of thing that can happen when you’re not encouraged by your parents. “I don’t feel as safe here as I do in York. There are a lot of gangs. There used to be a youth club, but it was stopped, and that probably hasn’t helped. “There’s not much community. You see a lot of people in their early 20s hanging round not really doing much. “I think there should be more going on in the community to help them.” Rebecca and Lisa, who didn’t want to give their full names, work together in the area. Rebecca said: “If young people are not in work or education, they’re stealing or selling drugs. .New figures have been released stating that Newcastle’s West End is the worst area in the country for employment opportunities for young white people Credit: North News and Pictures The area is plagued by crime and a lack of opportunities Credit: North News and Pictures “That’s more attractive to them because of the money. They can stay in bed all day and go out on a night time and make a bit of money. “It’s really shocking, but I think that’s what a lot of kids naturally fall into. There is nothing to push them in the right direction. There aren’t many jobs here. “I have a 13-year-old and I worry about her future, because I feel like kids follow in each other’s footsteps. “The wage of less than £14K for a 28-year-old is terrible, and you can understand why kids resort to crime. “Your wages don’t cover a lot due to the cost of living.” Lisa added: “Teachers have no control. There’s no discipline. They’re not to blame, I think their hands are tied. “Kids are running wild as a result. There should be more youth centres and things for young people to do. There’s nothing here.” Nichola Wright, 58, who works in sales, added: “There is bias towards certain groups of people. “If you are white and young here, you will be overlooked in favour of someone else. I do think people from ethnic minorities push their kids more in terms of education. “In other countries, they don’t have the same opportunities. They have to do their homework, and they can’t go on their phones. They’re very strict about it.” Her friend Sonia Hamilton, a 56-year-old self employed cleaner, said: “There is bias towards certain groups of people. “A lot of white parents are young people having kids. Kids having kids. They know how to work the system to get benefits. Sonia Hamilton and Nichola Wright both said that kids are being overlooked Credit: North News and Pictures Pat Nicholl, 73, volunteers are the food bank Credit: North News and Pictures “You get more money than you do if you work. There is a definite lack of respect. “Kids from ethnic minorities are taught more respect. It’s in their culture. My kids both work, they’ve followed my lead and their dads’. “But a lot of young people think, ‘Why should I work?’ And there’s a lack of role models.” Pat Nicholl volunteers at Newcastle Food Bank based at Venerable Bede Church. “It is really difficult for young people to get opportunities,” the 73-year-old said. “When I was a kid, you could walk into a job on a Saturday but now, even for the most menial of jobs, you need a CV. We are stopping young people from getting jobs as we are putting too many obstacles in their way. “I think we have neglected them for a long time.” But Scott Philipson, a 27-year-old mechanic from Cowgate and dad to Freddie, three, disagreed. He said: “I do think it is a lot harder for young people to get jobs – but if you put your head down, you can get anywhere in life. If you want something, go out and work for it. “I don’t think kids nowadays have any drive. They are lazy.” To help solve the issues in the area, The Sutton Trust says non-specific “16-19 initiatives” should be put in place. It also argues the National Funding Formula should be reformed to help target the most disadvantaged areas, such as Newcastle’s west end. Scott Phillipson, 27 from Cowgate, Newcastle, said young people can still make it if they put their heads down Credit: North News and Pictures MP Chi Onwurah blamed the area’s problems on Conservative rule Credit: Getty Chi Onwurah, Labour MP for Newcastle Central and West, blamed the area’s problems on Conservative rule. She said: “The Sutton Trust figures highlight the real challenges some families in Newcastle Central and West still face. “I grew up in a Newcastle council house, in a single parent family on benefits and thanks to the opportunities I had, I became an engineer and an MP. “But years of Tory austerity and neglect have reduced those opportunities and when over 40 per cent of children in Newcastle are growing up in poverty, it affects their life chances. “When there is not the money for essential services like street cleaning, when drastic police cuts are implemented, communities don’t feel valued. “The Labour Government is working to restore the kind of social mobility available I enjoyed in many ways. “It has scrapped the two-child limit, providing 30-hours’ free childcare, as well as free school meals and breakfast clubs for children across the country, as part of the Child Poverty Action Plan. “It is putting more police officers on our streets and building affordable homes, and giving renters more rights, as a secure home is so important. “Young people in Newcastle have enormous talent and potential, the same as those in London. Our job is to make sure they have the opportunities to match.” Cllr Christine Morrissey, Cabinet Member for Children and Families, Newcastle City Council said: “The new administration are aware of the low ranking of areas of Newcastle. We have been raising the issue for some time, and we have already allocated additional funding to youth services to move forward with addressing these issues. “Whilst it is disappointing that Newcastle has been ranked among the lowest areas in the country for young people’s opportunities, this must be viewed in the context of more than a decade of reduced public funding and increasing pressure on local services. “Local authorities must directly benefit from more financial control and more resources through direct devolution to them. “We make hard choices every day in the face of deprivation and we must be given the resources and the decision-making powers needed to match our responsibilities. We know what our young people need and we are best placed to deliver this. Lasting change requires sustained, long-term investment and we won’t stop fighting for it for our families. “Local authorities are on the frontline of tackling poverty and inequality. “We see first-hand the challenges that many families face, but we also see the difference that targeted investment and early intervention can make. “In Newcastle we have already started implementing change to support babies, children, and young people. We have plans in place to tackle this, but local authorities need more funding to make a real difference.” A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: “We remain committed to ensuring Newcastle – and the wider Force area – remains a safe place for people to live and work in, as well as to visit. “We work year-round with our partners to tackle anti-social behaviour and our figures show anti-social behaviour has reduced by 10 per cent in Newcastle over the last 12 months. Anyone with concerns is encouraged to report them at the earliest opportunity through our social media channels, live chat or report forms on our website. “Those unable to make contact in these ways can call 101. In an emergency, or where a crime is taking place, always dial 999.” Comment now