Gateshead Foodbank is currently running a live appeal to North East MPs. They want these MPs to then go and write to new Chancellor Rachel Reeves, calling for the two-child benefit cap to be scrapped. Its successor, a Labour government under Sir Keir Starmer, is already set to announce reforms in next month’s Budget. This effort is an excellent step toward changing that bad policy.
The two-child benefit cap, introduced by the previous Conservative government, restricts households receiving universal or child tax credits from claiming payments for a third or subsequent child born after April 2017. This policy has been rightly criticized for dropping countless families into poverty—more so when the economy is itself in a downturn.
We understand the Treasury is focused on multiple ways to change this policy, including potentially introducing a tapered system. Smooth out the cliff A tapered system would allow families to get some benefits for each additional child. It doesn’t fully lift the cap on benefits. Advocates contend that adding a third or fourth child doesn’t make implementation significantly less expensive. This reality begs critical questions of equity under the existing regulatory regime.
Diane Kindred, a local organiser with Gateshead Foodbank, said she was deeply worried about the changes being proposed. In her vision, she acknowledged a tapered approach would make the existing system better. She emphasized that it still wouldn’t do enough to help families who are in deep distress.
“Hope – we envision a future where no one needs to use a foodbank.” – Gateshead Foodbank banner
The foodbank’s banner really brings their vision home. Their goal is a future in which all families, rich or poor, have what they need to thrive without obstacles. It underscores the possible and urgent need for policy reform to lessen the associated economic hardship experienced by those most in need.
With the Budget announcement coming soon, the foodbank remains hopeful. They hope that every local MP will hear the cry of their constituents and demand a fairer support system for families. If successful, the result would be life-changing for thousands of families throughout the North East, likely bringing hundreds of families above the poverty line.
