Child poverty set to increase

Relative child poverty after housing costs (AHC) is set to increase by almost seven percentage points between 2016 and 2022, reveals the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS).

By 2022, over 5.2 million children will live in poverty, that’s 37% of children.

Planned tax and benefit reforms account for about a third of the projected increase in relative poverty.

Freezing benefits, the introduction of Universal Credit and less generous tax credits will mean a surge in child poverty.

Absolute child poverty is also projected to rise, by around four percentage points by 2022.

One of the main causes of the increase in child poverty is the ‘two child limit’. The policy is expected to increase absolute child poverty by over two percentage points.

Some regions are affected much more heavily than others. Northern Ireland and the West Midlands are projected to see the largest increase in poverty.

Pritie Billimoria, Head of Communications at Turn2us, said: “The projected increase in child poverty is very troubling. With low wages, high rents, and cuts to benefits becoming the norm, we want to see the upcoming budget provide some relief to families.”

If you are struggling, you can find support in our ‘Bringing up a child’ section.