[United Kingdom] Coronavirus and Child Poverty: what measures should be taken?

This article addresses how the ongoing pandemic has skyrocketed the child poverty rate. Advisors, experts and parents explain the impact of Covid-19 and the necessary steps that should be taken, particularly in the UK.

Alison Graham - Chief executive, Child Poverty Action Group

Alison Graham recognizes the labour issues women and low-paid workers face as a result of Covid-19, but focuses on the rising rate of child poverty. She presents suggestions and points to consider, including:

• Increasing the child benefit £10 a week per child
• Reviewing what has been achieved in the 20 year target (from 1999 to 2020) to reduce child poverty
• Focusing on how 10 years of austerity reduced social security spending
• Immediate action (bearing in mind the situation in 1997 when child poverty was 34%)

Gordon Brown – Former labour chancellor and prime minister

While focusing on the problem of increasing child poverty, he warns that without action, the child poverty rate may increase to more than 5 million children by 2022 (2 million more than in 2015). In order to avoid this, he recommends a ‘decent’ wage, child benefits and tax credits, while warning against austerity.

Charlotte: self-employed therapist and single parent of two children

Charlotte explains her situation as a single mother trying to feed her family and pay bills during the pandemic. She discusses how, due to the pandemic, she doesn’t have work and how that might affect her ability to pay for food, rent, and bills. She thinks, since many people face similar difficulties, the government should freeze costs or stop utility price increases.

Naomi Eisenstadt: research fellow

Ms. Eisenstadt urges the creation stronger policies based on accurate poverty measures which are aimed to assist families in deep poverty. She suggests the focus for new policies should be based on a simple assessment: ‘will it increase families’ income or decrease [their] costs?’.

Kevin Hollinrake MP: Conservative Chair, All-Party Parliamentary Group on Poverty

The MP focuses on the importance of having a universal measure to calculate poverty. He also proposes building more affordable housing to bring millions of families out of poverty and reduce the burden on tax-payers at the same time. To this end, he presents a scheme for the Government to invest £12.8bn every year to reduce the housing crisis and homelessness.

Ruth Lister: Labour peer and emeritus professor of social policy, Loughborough University

Ms. Lister emphasizes the significant role social security plays in reducing child poverty. She embraces a new cross-government strategy, including a ‘tax benefits system, employment and a range of services, with clear targets’. She also discusses the importance of increasing the child benefit, restoring the loss of 6% in the value of benefits due to a four-year freeze, and calls for an end to the two-child limit and benefit cap which are detrimental to families in need, especially to children.

Lisa Harker: director, Family Justice Operation, The Nuffield Foundation

Ms. Harker highlights that the pandemic presents a fairly unique opportunity to ‘reset’ the economy based on a reconsideration of the kind of society we want to be. She also suggests this time gives us pause to consider the causes of poverty, and until these can be addressed, stresses the importance of government–led income distribution. Harker calls for political leaders to make the case for long-term investment to support the most vulnerable.