The Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s latest UK Poverty report is out today and their research shows that, on the current trajectory, the rest of this decade will not see progress on any form of poverty, even under the best economic growth scenario.
Poverty they say, will only be driven down through focused, deliberate and determined policy action.
The policy action must start with the system designed to help people meet their costs of living – social security.
However the report says that at the moment that system is not only failing to do its job but, worse, actively pushing some people into deeper poverty, through cruel limits and caps.
4.3m children live in poverty but analysis shows only Scotland will see child poverty rates fall by 2029 in large part due to social security policies
These policies include the Scottish Child Payment and mitigating the two-child limit
It demonstrates the power of social security and if the rest of the UK saw the same reduction in the share of children in poverty 800,000 fewer children would be in poverty
Graham Whitham, CEO at not-for-profit Resolve Poverty based in Manchester says:
“The new report released today clearly illustrates the appalling levels of poverty we are seeing across the country. It is indicative of wider policy failings that must be addressed.
“While the creation of a national Child Poverty Strategy is a positive step forward, we need to see essential and urgent policy change in order to make any anti-poverty ambitions a reality. This includes an end to the two-child limit, which cruelly punishes larger families, and ensuring that social security covers life’s essentials at the very least. The government must address poverty head on if they want a successful society and a successful economy.
“But we also need to see action at a local level. As the report demonstrates, poverty rates vary greatly across regions, and targeted anti-poverty strategies are needed to address the unique challenges each locality faces. The forthcoming strategy presents a new opportunity to work collaboratively and strategically on local, regional and national responses to poverty – which we need to see in order to resolve it.”
