Chancellor misses golden chance to scrap two child limit

  • 16 000 more children will now be pulled into poverty by time new UK child poverty taskforce reports in spring
  • “Good news on universal credit deductions, but no bold action on child poverty” 
  • Barnett consequentials must now be prioritised to fund action on child poverty in Scotland

Responding to the UK Chancellor’s Budget, John Dickie, Director of the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) in Scotland, said;

“The Chancellor brought good news on universal credit deductions, but this was not a Budget of bold action on child poverty.  She missed a golden chance to scrap the two-child limit, a policy that will pull 16,000 extra children into poverty by the time the government’s child poverty taskforce reports in spring.

We welcome the new UK government’s ambition on child poverty but this budget played for time, time that children and families can’t afford. The UK spending review next spring will have to deliver much more to make a significant difference for children in poverty.”

Mr Dickie continued:

“Here in Scotland and looking ahead to the Scottish budget it is vital that wider Barnett consequentials are now used to fund the action needed to deliver on the First Minister’s number one priority of ending child poverty. That must include funding a real terms increase to the Scottish child payment, expanding childcare provision, delivering on free school meal promises and increasing the supply of affordable family housing.”

 

ENDS

 

Notes

1, CPAG’s pre -Budget submission can be found https://cpag.org.uk/news/cpags-budget-submission

2. Universal credit deductions Official figures show there are 2.6 million children (48%) in households on universal credit (UC) which are having debt deductions from their benefits, forcing them to live on significantly less than their entitlement. The average per-household monthly deduction is £78 - working out as £100 million a month or £1.2 billion a year being taken away from low-income families. This puts an unnecessarily large additional burden on already precarious finances.