Those things combine to make recent two-child benefit cap studies, including this one from Just Saving Ministries, particularly fresh and alarming. This policy means families cannot get means-tested benefits for any third or subsequent child born after April 2017. The North East Child Poverty Commission emphasises the cap’s disproportionate effect on bigger families. Latest research from Loughborough University supports these findings.
The two child limit has come to be seen as a beacon of the Conservative’s targeted measures that hit families with over two children hardest. Over half of families can’t afford basics like rent and food. With Congress refusing to act, this perfect storm is increasing rates of child poverty nationwide. Today’s new figures show child poverty is rising at an incredible rate in the North East. In places such as Easington and Bishop Auckland, you find as many as a third of children living in relative poverty.
Tracey Herrington of Thrive Teesside said We are really worried about the increasing numbers of children who are going into poverty. She emphasized that every year more children are being drawn down into poverty. They find themselves in this difficult position through no fault of their own. Leigh Elliott from Children North East, whose young people-led research project had initially helped inspire this commission, heartily concurred. She continued, saying the cap is “punishing” families.
The North East Child Poverty Commission has urged the government to act. First, they’re eager to see those ambitious pledges to reduce child poverty translate into concrete, measurable action steps. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson assuaged some of these concerns when she said the government has committed to looking at removing the cap. She cautioned, though, that to do so would need to have significant fiscal repercussions.
In a comment to the Guardian, a spokesperson for the DWP stressed their determination to focus on addressing child poverty. They reiterated, “We are committed to ending child poverty,” and called for comprehensive, fully funded plans to tackle child poverty’s structural and root causes across the country. The opportunity to compliment this with the government’s new child poverty strategy, which was due in the spring, has stalled.
The Loughborough study highlights that while the benefit cap can affect all out-of-work households, the two-child limit specifically targets larger families, exacerbating their financial struggles. As these issues have gained national attention, advocates have fought for a reversal of harmful policies that impact low-income families.
