CPAG analysis shows that child poverty will rise even higher by the end of this parliament to 4.8 million, unless the government “takes urgent action including scrapping the two-child limit in its forthcoming child poverty strategy and stepping back from benefit cuts”.
The number of children in households that are at risk of or unable to afford enough food is at its highest recorded level since food insecurity measures were introduced in 2020.
Graham Whitham, chief executive at Resolve Poverty said that child poverty levels are a “national disgrace”. He urged the government to “go beyond sticking-plaster solutions” in its child poverty strategy, with “real policy change that addresses the root issue”, such as lifting the two-child limit and benefit cap.
“The last Labour government invested in families, lifted children out of poverty and grew the economy. These things go hand in hand. The current government must learn from this approach if we’re to drive down child poverty in communities across the country,” Whitham said.
More broadly, 4.7 million people living in disabled households are experiencing food insecurity. This includes 1.6 million children.
A total of 44% of all children living in poverty are living in a household where someone is disabled.
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These families could be at risk of losing their benefits because of the DWP’s plan to slash the welfare bill.
The government is hoping that cutting benefits will push more people into work. But these DWP statistics show that work is not necessarily a solution out of poverty.
The percentage of children in working households who are living in poverty has risen to 18%, up from 17% in 2022/23.
Dr Philip Goodwin, chief executive officer of the UK Committee for UNICEF, points out that the UK has seen “the highest increase in child poverty of any OECD and EU country in the past decade and today’s shocking figures show the situation is getting worse”.
Many of the children living below the poverty line are under five, he said.
“The consequences of poverty can last a lifetime and are especially harmful for babies and young children. Growing up in poverty damages children’s life chances – making them less likely to be school ready at age 5 and increasing their risk of developing health issues like asthma and obesity,” Goodwin said.
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He urged the government to prioritise investment in early childhood services, to help reduce the impact of poverty on young children’s development, in addition to ending the two-child limit and benefit cap.
A spokesperson for the National Children’s Bureau said: “These new figures are a shameful reminder of what happens when government leaves gaping holes in the social safety net.
“The government is preparing a child poverty strategy while announcing changes that push more children into poverty, which is like designing a house while adding quicksand to the building site.
“We will only see the true downward trend in poverty that children desperately need if the new strategy sets out significant investment in social security and legally binding targets to tackle and eventually eradicate child poverty.”
Further research from charity Little Village has found that nearly half (45%) of parents supported by its baby bank network are skipping meals so their children can eat. A quarter of parents are rationing nappies, and one in 10 are watering down baby formula.
Sophie Livingstone, chief executive of Little Village, said: “No parent should have to decide between feeding their child, heating their home or diluting formula to make it go further, yet, for too many families, these choices are a daily reality.
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“In a climate of budget cuts, we fear the government’s new child poverty strategy won’t go far enough and urge ministers to put children first. Poverty robs children of their childhood and worsens inequality. The government must take the urgent, decisive action that is needed now.”
Two thirds of families supported by Little Village have prioritised housing costs over buying essential items like clothing, and one in three have kept the heating off to save on energy bills.
Lord John Bird, Big Issue founder, called on the child poverty taskforce to “expedite its long-promised strategy and urge the chancellor to back its recommendations with real resource and finance”.
“This includes axing the pernicious two-child benefit cap and benefit limit,” he said. “Things will only change if the government spends serious money on breaking the cycle of poverty – on preventing and curing poverty. They can’t wait for fairweather days to roll over the hill before they act.”
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