The ‘hardest places to grow up’ in England laid bare in landmark report

Middlesbrough, Hounslow and Bradford are the most challenging places in England for young people to grow up, according to a landmark study by the Children’s Commissioner.

The Childhood Lottery evaluated the hurdles facing youth across every local authority in England.

Nottingham, Halton in Cheshire and Peterborough were also listed among the most difficult areas, while Cheshire East, Merton and Surrey were found to be the least challenging.

In a speech on Monday, Dame Rachel de Souza, the Children’s Commissioner for England, warned of a "state of emergency" in certain communities.

The project uses an interactive map and dataset combining more than 160 measures to analyse the hurdles confronting children.

Overall rankings were assigned using nearly 100 metrics, spanning access to healthcare, social care, housing, education, safety, play opportunities and whether youth have a say in leadership decisions.

The hardest places to grow up have been identified as Middlesbrough, Hounslow, Bradford, Nottingham, Halton, Peterborough, Leicester, Liverpool, Sunderland and Medway.

Cheshire East, Merton, Surrey, Richmond upon Thames, Hertfordshire, Cheshire West and Chester, Haringey, Leicestershire, Central Bedfordshire and Wokingham are described as the least challenging places for youngsters.

The report concludes “the postcode lottery is real” and identifies differences in children’s experiences depending on where they live.

It finds there are “unacceptable outcomes and levels of service delivery for children in too many parts of the country”, amounting to a “state of emergency” in some areas.

For example, of the more than one million youngsters who had active referrals to children and young people’s mental health services in 2024-25, the median number of days from referral to second contact in Leicester was six, compared with 118 in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

The report said that all regions are represented in the 25 places where the data shows childhood is hardest, including Somerset in the South West, Birmingham in the West Midlands, and Hounslow in London.

In a speech on Monday, Dame Rachel called on Andy Burnham’s Government to ensure children’s outcomes and life chances are not determined by where they live.

The commissioner said, “every single local area in England has work to do to make lives better for their children”.

“In some communities, these challenges amount to nothing less than a state of emergency. Not for every child. Not everywhere,” she will say.

“But what we see here is a litany of failure. In so many areas of the country, children are being radically failed.”

Dame Rachel said that devolution represented “an opportunity” and is a “unique chance to remove the extreme inequality and unfairness” identified in the report.

“New powers will mean new structures, and therefore new opportunities to think about, listen to, and deliver for children.

“Local areas must be provided with support from central government to raise standards for children across health, social care, housing and communities, with urgent action where it falls beyond a set level.

“This needs to be our response to the emergency.”

Dame Rachel made several recommendations, including the appointment of a deputy mayor for children in every strategic authority.

The Childhood Lottery uses data gathered by the Children’s Commissioner, alongside figures from the Department for Education and 10 other public bodies.

The report will be launched at an event in Westminster on Monday.