Cost-of-living: Government failed 300,000 children as they fell into poverty

Charities across the UK have accused the government of failing as it has emerged that 300,000 children fell into poverty at the height of the crisis.

Data that was published yesterday by the Department for Work and Pensions highlighted that at the height of the cost-of-living, amid soaring levels of hunger and food bank use, hundreds of thousands of children were forced into poverty in a single year.

Against this backdrop, the research also found that during 2022/23 – when inflation was at its 10% peak – 600,000 more people found themselves without any money.

Overall, during this time period, 12 million people were classed as being in absolute poverty. This is equivalent to 18% of the population, including 3.6 million children.

During this traumatising period, various charities were urging the government to provide better support for vulnerable people. Part of this included asking ministers to axe the two-child benefit limit which is seen as a driver of family hardship.

The research that was published yesterday, which can be found in full here, unfortunately shows the reality of what happens when the government fail to listen to campaigners who were trying to help. In addition to exposing harrowing poverty statistics, the data also showcases more extreme forms of hardship that families faced, including destitution. This is where individuals are unable to afford basic living essentials such as food, energy, bedding and clothing. Almost four million people experienced destitution in 2022.

Likewise, the research also outlined:

• More than two-thirds (69%) of UK children in poverty lived in families where at least one parent works, while 44% of children in lone-parent families were in poverty
• An estimated 2.9 million children were in deep poverty, meaning their income was at least 50% below the poverty line. Nearly half (46%) of all families with three or more children were in poverty
• Nearly one in 10 (8%) of pensioners struggled to eat regularly, pay essential bills or keep their home warm, up 2 percentage points year on year, and the first increase in material hardship measures among the over-65s since 2014

Alison Garnham, chief executive of the Child Poverty Action Group, said: ‘In a general election year, nothing should be more important to our political leaders than making things better the country’s poorest kids. But child poverty has reached a record high, with 4.3 million kids now facing cold homes and empty tummies.’

However, central government have claimed that their cost-of-living support packages, which were offered to struggling families and included one-off cash payments and support with energy bills for low-income households, had helped alleviate pressure on poorer families and prevented more than one million people falling into poverty.

The work and pensions secretary, Mel Stride, said that the ‘last few years have been tough’ but claimed falling inflation coupled with a range of tax and benefit measures would provide support to people on low incomes.

He said: ‘The plan is working, and we need to stick to it to deliver a brighter future and economic security for everyone.’

Nevertheless, Peter Matejic, chief analyst at JRF, said: ‘The annual poverty figures published today confirm that the government failed to protect the most vulnerable from the cost-of-living crisis. Absolute poverty, the Government’s preferred measure of poverty, has risen for the second year in a row. This is as big as we have seen for 40 years.

‘At the same time, there is little to celebrate in the slight fall in overall relative poverty levels. This is largely due to the incomes of middle-income households falling, rather than people on the lowest incomes being better off. This is also likely to reverse now that earnings are growing faster than inflation.’

‘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,’ Peter said. ‘This is despite Jeremy Hunt speaking of his commitment to protect the most vulnerable in his Autumn Statement in 2022. These results show just how far away our social security system is from adequately supporting people who have fallen on hard times.’

Image: Tadeusz Lakota

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