Latest news with #JosephHowes
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Midlands areas named among child poverty hotspots
A number of Midlands areas have been named among the UK's child poverty hotspots. A total of 4.5 million children were living in poverty in the year ending March 2024 - the last full year under the Conservative Government - according to the latest figures from the DWP. A new interactive map (below) allows people to check rates in their postcode. Areas coloured in darker purple have higher deprivation levels. READ MORE: Five-word text message landing on phones could empty your bank account Get our local newsletters like Black Country News, MySolihull and MySuttonColdfield straight to your inbox The Birmingham areas of Bordesley Green and Heartlands were third and fourth on the national list, with seven in 10 kids living in poverty. Figures showed more evidence of the north/south divide, with the 20 worst affected areas all in the north of England and Birmingham. Taking a closer look at the map, a number of the worst-hit areas can be seen in east and south east Birmingham, as well as Aston. Struggling areas include Ward End; Tyseley and Hay Mills; and Bromford and Hodge Hill. Parts of Walsall, Sandwell and Wolverhampton also have around half of children living in poverty. It comes amid the continued row over the two-child benefit cap, labelled by critics as "cruel" amid claims it is responsible for deepening child poverty. Under the cap, parents can only claim Universal Credit and tax credits for their first two children. As poorer families tend to be bigger, this policy hits those struggling the most. Pressure is continuing on the Labour Government to scrap the cap. Joseph Howes, CEO of Buttle UK and chair of the End Child Poverty Coalition, said: 'Scrapping the two-child limit is a crucial first step to address rising child poverty across the UK. 'By doing this the Government could also see a boost to local economies, targeting some of the most deprived areas of the country. 'We don't want to see another year of families suffering as a result of the two-child limit. "The Government must scrap this policy as part of their soon to be published strategy to tackle child poverty." A Government spokesperson said: 'No child should be in poverty – that's why our ministerial taskforce is developing an ambitious strategy to give every child the best start in life as part of our Plan for Change. 'Alongside delivering on our Get Britain Working reforms to support people into good jobs and make everyone better off, we have increased the Living Wage, uprated benefits and are supporting 700,000 of the poorest families by introducing a Fair Repayment Rate on Universal Credit deductions to help low-income households.'
The Guardian
24-04-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
English schools will have to subsidise infants' free meals after 3p funding increase, say leaders
Primary schools in England will be forced to subsidise free school meals for infants from their own budgets after the government's 'pitiful' 3p increase in funding, according to school leaders. The Department for Education (DfE) announced that its funding for universal infant free school meals will rise from £2.58 to £2.61 per child in September, with the 3p rise well below expected inflation and wage increases facing schools. Joseph Howes, the chair of the End Child Poverty Coalition and chief executive of Buttle UK children's charity, said; 'A 3p increase to cover the cost of school meals, which are not even available to all primary-aged children, let alone all poorer children, is just not good enough.' Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said the existing rate was already below the estimated £3.16 it costs schools in England to provide a hot daily meal. 'This disappointing below-inflation increase will still leave many schools having to subsidise free school meals from budgets already seriously stretched after years of real-terms funding cuts under previous governments,' Whiteman said. 'Suppliers sometimes pass on increased costs of producing meals and school leaders are caught between a rock and a hard place. They don't want to compromise on the quality of food provided, but that may mean having to cut spending on other things which may affect children's learning. 'We urge the government to look carefully at the actual costs of providing meals and make sure these are fully covered in the funding schools receive.' The free lunches are provided to all children in reception, year 1 and year 2 classes in state primary schools, meaning that a typical school with 90 pupils in the three year groups will receive an extra £2.70 a day in total. The 1.2% increase is well below the 3% annual rise in food prices recorded in March by the Office for National Statistics, while pay rises of 3% or more are expected for catering staff, alongside increases in the national minimum wage and national insurance contributions. Universal infant free school meals were introduced under the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government in 2014, with schools receiving £2.30 per child. Since then funding increases have been below inflation: in 2023, when the rate was £2.41, the Institute for Fiscal Studies estimated it had lost 16% of its value. Munira Wilson, the Liberal Democrat's education, children and families spokesperson, said: 'Labour are serving our children crumbs. An increase of just a few pennies is pitiful given the current financial pressures and shows that the government has its priorities totally scrambled.' A study by the Child Poverty Action Group concluded: 'Despite some shortcomings we find that the policy has yielded significant benefits for children, including children from disadvantaged backgrounds, and UIFSM deserves the support of those who campaign against child poverty.' The DfE was approached for comment.
