Spring Budget ‘all but blind’ to struggling families and public services they rely on

Responding to the Spring Budget, Chief Executive of Child Poverty Action Group Alison Garnham said:

“For almost fifteen years, the four million kids from poor families have been at the bottom of the pile and today is no different. This was a Budget all but blind to buckling family budgets and broken public services and will leave a legacy of crumbling classrooms, cold homes, and empty tummies.  

 

Families needed the two child limit and benefit cap to be scrapped along with investment in children’s benefits, in free school meals and in the public services they rely on, from children’s centres to libraries to afterschool clubs to welfare rights advice, but the Chancellor turned away. 

 

The national insurance cut won’t help those on the lowest incomes, and while the eleventh-hour money for the Household Support Fund will avoid a cliff edge cut, it’s another temporary workaround when struggling families need lasting measures to ensure they have enough to live on.   
 

There is nothing responsible or good for growth about allowing more and more children to live in poverty, but the Chancellor ignored forecasts of record levels of hardship among children.      Support with universal credit advances will give families more space but go nowhere near to making the kind of difference struggling families need. More social security support in childhood means healthier, more educated children, a more productive workforce, higher economic growth and reduced costs for government.   Any government concerned about economic growth should be investing in kids not allowing them to go hungry and leaving it to breaking local authorities to pick up the pieces

Higher Income Child Benefit Charge

“The change to child benefit for higher income families is welcome but it turns the spotlight on families getting very much less. Child benefit has lost 20% of its value since 2010 – an unforgiveable real-terms cut that hits kids in the lowest income families hard.  Any government concerned with the country’s economic prospects must restore investment in children, starting with a £20 per week increase to child benefit and abolition of the two-child limit in universal credit allowances.” 

Note to editors: 

CPAG media contacts: Jane Ahrends 07816 909302