The government has pledged to crack down ion child poverty, including making universal credit more accessible and end children living in B&Bs.
Scrapping the two-child benefit cap has been the government’s first major step towards their goal, announced as part of Rachel Reeves’ recent budget. This also came alongside an announcement of free school meals being expanded to include all children from families on universal credit.
The scrapping of the benefit cap is expected to bring 450,000 children out of poverty, with the remainder attributed to free school meals. However, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said that there was “considerable uncertainty over how large a reduction in measured poverty these policies will ultimately deliver, partly due to genuine economic uncertainty”.
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Homelessness Minister Alison McGovern was also outspoken on the dire situation of children staying B&Bs longer than the current maximum of 6 weeks- around 2,000 children are known to have lived in B&Bs as temporary accommodation longer than this time limit. Child poverty has become an escalating issue, with multiple charities calling for further support in the crisis, in England alone, more than 172,000 children are living in temporary accommodation.
McGovern told BBC Breakfast it “really, really shocked me” that in the five years to 2024, 74 children – including 58 babies – died and “one of the causes that was attributed to their death was the effect of temporary accommodation”. She also said that they are intent on ending any newborns being delivered and discharged from hospital into temporary accommodation, saying “If that’s still happening by the time I’ve finished my job, I’ll consider myself a failure,”.
The budget overall received ample criticism from political opponents, with some citing the scrap of the two-child benefit cap as a temporary fix. Shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately said: “You don’t lift children out of poverty by making the whole country poorer.”
She said work was “the best way out of poverty”, adding: “Only the Conservatives have a credible plan to grow the economy, support parents back into work and tackle child poverty.”
New measures include a new legal duty for LAs to notify schools, GPs and health professionals when a child is placed in temporary accommodation to accommodate a joined up approach to support, and the continuation an £8m pilot to reduce dependence on B&Bs as emergency accommodation.
Responding the publication of the national Child Poverty Strategy, Cllr Dr Wendy Taylor MBE, Chair of the LGA’s Health and Wellbeing Committee, said:
“Child poverty not only limits children’s life chances and wellbeing but also imposes significant long-term costs on our economy and society.
“Councils want to work with government and partners to combat child poverty. We are pleased this strategy recognises the importance of integrating local services including housing, health, and family support to better meet the needs of disadvantaged children. We are also pleased to see national measures aimed at reducing in-work poverty and making it easier for parents to access childcare and progress in work, which will improve outcomes and alleviate pressure on local hardship support.
“The renewed emphasis on prevention in key areas including housing, social care, employment support and health, is a positive step. Councils will continue to work closely with government to identify ways in which integration and service reform can enable earlier intervention in the underlying causes of disadvantage.
“However, without additional investment in these services – and a recognition that councils still face high levels of immediate demand in many acute services – it is hard to see how we will be able to achieve the step change that is needed to reverse current trends successfully.”
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Kate Still, Chief Customer Officer at Clarion Housing Group, said:
“Every day we see the pressures facing families, with our latest Clarion Index resident survey finding that half of our residents struggle to afford the essentials while many parents face extensive barriers to moving into good, well-paid and secure work.”
“Removing obstacles to job progression, supporting parents with childcare and reducing the time families spend in unsuitable accommodation are all critical, and we welcome today’s strategy which begins to tackle these challenges.
“With more than 164,000 children living in temporary accommodation across England, ensuring every family has a safe, secure roof over their head is one of the most important steps in giving children the best start in life, and we look forward to working with ministers to ensure today’s commitments deliver lasting change for families.”
