The number of children living in poverty has reached its highest level in two decades, according to shocking news statistics that highlight the devastating impact the cost of living crisis is having on Britons’ daily lives.
There are around 4.3 million children growing up in poverty in the UK, a figure that has risen over the past year and surpassed the all-time high of 4.28 million children in the year to March 2020.
Meanwhile, the number of children earning relatively low incomes after housing costs – one of the government’s measures to tackle child poverty – is now at its highest level since comparable records began 20 years ago.
Campaigners said the “shocking” statistic should sound alarm bells, with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation accusing the government of failing to protect the UK’s most vulnerable.
The same figures released by the Department for Work and Pensions painted a bleak picture nationally, with average household income falling by 1.5% last year. Income inequality is also growing.
(DWP)
Lynne Perry, chief executive of children’s charity Barnardo’s, added: “Child poverty is rising again. The government needs to urgently focus on reducing child poverty.”
Meghan Meek-O’Connor, senior child poverty policy adviser at Save the Children UK, said: “These shocking figures should be an urgent wake-up call to us all, especially the UK government. We cannot go on like this. Children There is no excuse for not having food, heat, toys or a bed.”
Labor MP John McDonnell said: “This set of statistics is truly shocking. The scale of suffering caused by this level of poverty and the need for serious action to tackle it must be acknowledged across the political spectrum. .”
A household is considered to be in relative poverty if its income after housing costs is less than 60% of the median income.
Statistics released on Thursday also showed a significant increase in the proportion of pensioners living in poverty in 2022/23.
8% of pensioners in the UK are recorded as materially deprived, meaning they survive without some of the basic necessities needed to live. This represents a 2% increase compared to 2020 figures and is expected to reach the highest level since 2016.
This is the first recorded increase in pensioner poverty since 2014.
The estimated total number of relatively low-income people was 14.35 million in the year to March 2023, down from 14.4 million the previous year, according to official data.
Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride said the government had “adopted Europe’s biggest cost-of-living scheme, worth an average of £3,800 per household”, which he said had “prevented 1.3 million people falling into poverty by 2022″ / twenty three”.
He added: “Our decisive action has cut inflation by more than half, allowing us to deliver tax cuts of an average of £900 a year – putting more money directly into the pockets of hard-working families.
“On top of this we will deliver the biggest ever increase in the National Living Wage so that more people can achieve long-term financial security through work.
“We also took further steps in April to boost benefits and pensions to support millions of people on the lowest incomes, and expand the Household Support Fund to provide vital support to those most in need.
“This plan is working and we need to keep it up to deliver a brighter future and economic security for everyone.”
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