New child poverty report

New research from the End Child Poverty Coalition – conducted over the past five years – shows that even pre the COVID-19 pandemic, child poverty has been rising – with over half a million more UK children living in poverty than five years previously.

The research shows that children know what poverty means; the feeling of embarrassment, the assumptions that they won’t achieve anything, and the anxiety and uncertainty that impacts your mental health.

It also shows that three-quarters of children in poverty are from families where at least one parent is in work.

The report shows that:

* In the year 19/20 in the East Midlands, 27% of children were living in poverty.

*In the list of the 20 local authorities with highest increase in child poverty rates after housing costs, 2014/15 to 2019/20 Leicester had risen from 30% to 37.7% .

The Coalition is calling on the Government for a comprehensive plan to tackle child poverty, including an increase in children’s benefits and to stop the £20 cut to family income that is due in October 2021. The report also highlights that the impact of the pandemic is not yet known. With our 140+ years of experience supporting those in need, we know that the hardship that COVID-19 has caused will continue for a considerable time to come. Even when the economy starts to recover, it will take a considerable period before those benefits filter down to those most in need.

Thank you once again for your continued support, which is helping to ensure a decent quality of life for more vulnerable local families in the communities in which we work. Read the full report here: http://www.endchildpoverty.org.uk/#childpoverty#endchildpoverty#childpovertyfigures