Soaring Expense of Living: Government Lapsed in Support, Allowing 300,000 Children to Sink into Poverty
In a stark revelation, new data published by the Department for Work and Pensions shows that 12 million people, equivalent to 18% of the population, were classed as being in absolute poverty during a recent time period [1]. This figure includes 3.6 million children, with 300,000 children falling into poverty at the height of the crisis, and nearly 4 million people experiencing destitution in 2022 [1][2].
These findings highlight the significant distance between the current social security system and its ability to adequately support those who have fallen on hard times, according to Peter Matejic, chief analyst at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) [1]. He further stated that the annual poverty figures published today confirm that the government failed to protect the most vulnerable from the cost-of-living crisis [3].
In response, UK charities have proposed several specific policies and measures to address child poverty and prevent families from experiencing destitution [1][2][3][4][5]. These include:
- Scrapping the two-child benefit limit: By ending this policy, which currently excludes many children from financial support and is driving hundreds of thousands into poverty, an estimated 300,000 children could be lifted out of poverty immediately [2][3][5].
- National adoption of the Baby Box scheme: This initiative, which provides essential baby items and developmental tools to support children in their earliest 1,001 days, is urged to be integrated into the upcoming National Child Poverty Strategy to tackle early childhood inequality effectively [1].
- Addressing destitution among asylum-seeking children and families: Charities highlight the urgent need to reform the ‘no recourse to public funds’ (NRPF) policy, which limits financial support for asylum seekers and deliberately pushes families toward destitution. Increasing asylum support rates and removing barriers to access benefits are recommended to protect these vulnerable children from extreme poverty [4].
- Emergency financial support enhancements: The government's introduction of a Crisis Support Fund for emergency grants and capping debt clawback from Universal Credit payments are recognised as positive but insufficient steps without more decisive action on core poverty drivers [5].
- Expansion of free school meals: Seen as a necessary baseline policy, the expansion of free school meals acts as a ‘downpayment’ for broader initiatives to combat child poverty and malnutrition [2][3].
As the government continues to grapple with the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, charities are urging for the implementation of these key measures to effectively tackle child poverty and enable families to avoid severe hardship [1][2][3][4][5]. However, Peter Matejic notes that the slight fall in overall relative poverty levels is largely due to the incomes of middle-income households falling, rather than people on the lowest incomes being better off [3].
Furthermore, nearly one in 10 (8%) of pensioners struggled to eat regularly, pay essential bills or keep their home warm in 2022, an increase from 2014 [2]. The work and pensions secretary, Mel Stride, claims that falling inflation and a range of tax and benefit measures will provide support to people on low incomes, but his commitment to protect the most vulnerable was not reflected in the results, according to Peter Matejic [4].
In conclusion, the UK is facing a significant challenge in addressing poverty, particularly among children and vulnerable groups. The government's short-term interventions to date haven't stopped the incomes of poorer households from being swallowed up by the soaring cost of essentials, and urgent action is required to implement the proposed policies and measures to combat poverty effectively.
- Amidst the escalating cost-of-living crisis, the ongoing discourse in policy-and-legislation circles emphasizes the immediate need for changes in the welfare system to alleviate child poverty.
- The urgency of tackling poverty, as highlighted by the recent data, necessitates a focus on politics that prioritizes the well-being of those most affected, including children and vulnerable groups, over general-news headlines.
