Action for Children responds to ONS impact of increased cost of living analysis

‘These figures show that while most of us feel the cost-of-living squeeze in some way, women and children are the hardest hit. Single parent households, overwhelmingly headed up by women, are struggling to make ends meet– with almost half (47%) finding it difficult to afford their rent or mortgage and over a quarter reporting that they had run out of food and been unable to afford to buy more (28%).

We regularly support parents in our services who can't even buy the basics and our frontline workers tell us the levels of hardship they are seeing is some of the worst in their careers.

That’s why Action for Children is calling on the government to increase the child element of Universal Credit by £15 a week and abolish the benefit cap, which would lift nearly 320,000 children out of poverty altogether – at a cost of £4 billion a year. (1)

The Two-Child Limit, another major driver of rising child poverty, must also be scrapped. This alone would lift 250,000 children out of poverty.’ (2)

ENDS

Notes to editors:

1. Action for Children (February 2023) All Worked Out? The limits of work as a route out of poverty and hardship. Available at: https://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/our-work-and-impact/policy-work-campaigns-and-research/policy-reports/all-worked-out-the-limits-of-work-as-a-route-out-of-poverty-and-hardship

2. https://cpag.org.uk/policy-and-campaigns/briefing/budget-submission-2023

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About Action for Children:

Action for Children protects and supports vulnerable children and young people by providing practical and emotional care and support, ensuring their voices are heard and campaigning to bring lasting improvements to their lives. With 447 services across the UK, in schools and online, in 2021/22 we helped 671,275 children, young people and families. actionforchildren.org.uk