Cheshire East has been ranked the least challenging place in England to be a child in new research published by the Children’s Commissioner.
The borough scored 730 out of 960 in The Childhood Lottery, ahead of Merton and Surrey. The research brings together 162 measures of children’s lives, covering services, outcomes and wider circumstances.
What the ranking means
The report examines issues including education, health and social care, housing, safety and opportunities to play. Its overall scores are not council-performance ratings: they include factors outside a local authority’s control, including poverty and police-force measures.
The Commissioner also stresses that every area has improvements to make and that children living within the same borough can have very different experiences.
Four areas were excluded from the overall ranking because of missing data. Cheshire East had no missing scored metrics in the published table.
The council’s response
Councillor Laura Crane, Cheshire East Council’s cabinet member for children’s services, welcomed the recognition and credited families, schools, community organisations and other partners.
However, she acknowledged that the borough’s overall prosperity does not mean all children have equal opportunities.
She said inequalities in health, education and economic outcomes still affect some families, and that where a child grows up can have too much influence on their life chances.
The councillor said the council wants to work with education, health, social care and voluntary-sector partners to reduce barriers and improve opportunities for children from every background.
The full report, evidence annex and interactive map are available through the Children’s Commissioner’s Childhood Lottery page.