News and blogs

News

CPAG in Scotland event at SNP conference

26 November 2020

If you are a delegate at the SNP conference, please join our joint fringe event with Save the children and One Parent Families Scotland: Strengthening financial security to end child poverty

News UK Scotland

New universal credit assessment period regulations

16 November 2020

New universal credit regulations come in to force today. This follows our successful legal case concerning people paid monthly getting two wages in one UC assessment period.

Legal News UK Universal credit Work and pay

New local child poverty stats

14 October 2020

New research by the Centre for Research in Social Policy at Loughborough University, for the End Child Poverty coalition, shows the full extent of child poverty across the UK, before the Coronavirus pandemic and how it has changed since 2014/15.

Child poverty statistics News UK

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Press releases

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170,000 households hit by benefit cap

26 November 2020

Official figures out today show the number of households subject to the benefit cap has reached 170,000, an increase of 8% since May 2020. Most of the increase is in London. The cap limits the total amount of benefits low-earning or non-working households can receive.

Benefit cap Coronavirus Press release UK Universal credit

Joint response from CPAG and Age UK London to TfL funding deal

01 November 2020

In response to the new Government funding agreement with TfL, Child Poverty Action Group and Age UK London said: “This is a fantastic victory for young and older Londoners, who made a powerful case for why holding on to free travel is so important. It’s right that children can get to school safely, and older people and families don’t have to worry about additional costs at this time of great financial uncertainty."

Child poverty in London Coronavirus Costs and spending Press release UK London

New research: the Cost of a Child in 2020 shows need to keep ‘Covid-19 bonus’ in universal credit and tax credits

29 October 2020

The Covid-19 temporary £20 per week increase in universal credit and working tax credits has enabled some low-paid working families with full-time jobs to get close to – or even just above – a minimum acceptable standard of living (or MIS, a no-frills, but adequate standard of living ), new research for Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) shows.

Benefit cap Benefit levels Childcare Cost of a child Costs and spending Press release Tax credits Two child limit UK Universal credit Work and pay

Blogs

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Access to justice, one step at a time: Part 2

17 November 2020

Part 1 set out our approach at CPAG to access to justice in the social security field, namely ensuring: access to information, access to advice and assistance, and access to mechanisms for challenging unlawful decisions. Continuing with the last of these steps, the normal route for challenging a social security decision is by appealing it to a tribunal. Sometimes though, the appeal route is not available or, while available in principle, is not effective. In those situations, the route of legal challenge is judicial review.

Benefit delivery Blog Legal Mandatory reconsideration and appeals UK Universal credit

Furthering access to justice, one step at a time: Part 1

17 November 2020

The ‘rule of law’ and ‘access to justice’ are concepts that are seen as fundamental to the proper functioning of a healthy, democratic society. The rule of law becomes perilously fragile if ordinary people are unable to hold public bodies to account.

Benefit delivery Blog Legal Mandatory reconsideration and appeals Tax credits UK Universal credit

Don't Zap the Zip

28 October 2020

The #DontZapTheZip campaign is calling on the government to keep London transport free for under 18s. Olivia Faria, a Year 13 student from Croydon, and Joshua Brown-Smith, chair of young advisors at Lewisham Council, are campaign leaders.

Blog Child poverty in London Costs and spending Education UK London

Contact us

Child Poverty Action Group is a centre of expertise and campaigning on child poverty, welfare rights, and related issues such as fair pay, childcare, benefits and tax credits. Our spokespeople regularly feature on television, radio and in print media.

Contact

Journalists can contact our press officer, Jane Ahrends, or the out-of-hours duty contact on:

020 7812 5216 (office hours)

07816 909302 (24 hour)

email: jahrends@cpag.org.uk

Looking for a contact in Scotland? Visit our Scotland media page.

Press releases

CPAG regularly puts out press statements on the publication of its own policy and research, and in reaction to other events and news stories related to our work. See our press releases.

Expert information

CPAG can help journalists find information for child poverty related stories. See some key facts and figures.

We may also be able to arrange for you to speak with one of our policy or welfare rights experts for more detailed enquiries.

Case study advice

CPAG can provide advice to journalists on finding case studies, but is rarely able to directly provide case studies.

We encourage journalists in their use of case studies to show sensitivity towards parents who wish to protect their children from the stigma of being labelled as in ‘poverty’ and associated risks such as bullying.

End Child Poverty

CPAG is the host organisation for the campaign to End Child Poverty - a coalition of 150 organisations from civic society including children’s charities, child welfare organisations, social justice groups, faith groups, trade unions and others, united in our vision of a UK free of child poverty.

Our press officer also handles queries on behalf of End Child Poverty and we can provide End Child Poverty spokespeople. Visit the End Child Poverty website.