Child Poverty Action Group

Latest figures show that child poverty is rising. There are currently 4 million children living in poverty in the UK, and there are projected to be 5.1 million by 2021. While the government doesn’t seem to want to acknowledge this reality, most starkly illustrated by its refusal to discuss the impact of universal credit on child poverty, others are keen to find practical ways to address the problem.

Which of the following statements tells you more?

Around 4 million of Britain’s 14 million children live in households classified as in poverty because they have below 60% of median income after housing costs.

Among the 2,200 children who live in the Notting Barns area of Kensington, site of Grenfell Tower, nearly a thousand are in families with very low incomes. Just over half a mile away, among the 2,200 children living in three wards around Kensington High Street and Cromwell Road, only 150 are in this situation.

After being appointed deputy head girl at Rodborough, I was determined to do something positive – not just for our school, but for other young people. We decided to raise awareness of child poverty through a fundraising campaign for the Child Poverty Action Group. Often hardships like poverty can feel quite far from home, but it is important that we do all we can to give back to those less fortunate than ourselves.

Today, CPAG publishes a major new study on the impact of austerity on families with children: ‘The Austerity Generation: the impact of a decade of cuts on family incomes and child poverty‘.

Work has been the biggest anti-poverty policy of recent decades, with support delivered under banners of ‘making work pay’, and calls for people to ‘work their way out of poverty’. However, people living in poverty are increasingly likely to be working. The UK’s wage fall since the 2008 financial crisis has been unmatched by any other large economy. This will be exacerbated by the Universal Credit roll out. Families are being pushed into financial hardship and work incentives damaged, particularly for second earners, single parents and those moving into self-employment.

As the elected Mayor of Bedford Borough, in 2013 I faced 40 per cent cuts in local government financing, a new localism agenda and welfare reform. As part of welfare reform, local councils had to devise their own Council Tax Reduction Scheme to replace the Council Tax Benefit System, taking on this responsibility from central government.

A new article in Child Indicators Research (behind a paywall) ranks 38 high and middle income countries, mostly in Europe, on a measure of multidimensional poverty among children aged 11, 13 and 15 years old. The study uses data from the 2013/14 Health Behaviour in School-age Children (HBSC) survey. It gives regional breakdowns for Belgium and Great Britain, showing clear divides among the regions and nations within these two states.

This guest blog is from Rebecca Walker, author of the immigration and residence chapters of the Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook, lead author of the Benefits for Migrants Handbook and architect of the Right to Reside Flowchart Poster.

Joyce Materego has been director of finance and resources at CPAG since January 2016. We were delighted when she was recently named an Inspiring Financial Leader at the Charity Finance Group awards. We asked Joyce about life before CPAG, what drew her to our work, and what challenges lie ahead.