Latest news with #babybanks
BBC News
a day ago
- Business
- BBC News
Lincolnshire baby banks report rapid rise in demand for services
Organisations supporting families with babies say they have seen a rapid rise in demand for their banks provide donated nappies, cots, clothes and other items to parents in Bennett, founder of the Market Rasen Baby Bank, in Lincolnshire, said the number of users had risen from 19 to 76 over the last six described the increase in demand as "quite disturbing". "I would say a large percentage of service users are your average working family – money just isn't stretching to the end of the month," she told the Local Democracy Reporting Service."Nobody has any contingencies, every little penny is just going into living."Even households where both parents were working were struggling, particularly with nursery fees, Ms Bennett figures from an annual survey by the national Baby Bank Alliance show that 220,000 families across the UK were supported by baby banks in 2024, up from 163,000 in the previous than 3.5-million items were distributed last year, marking a 143% increase on the previous Bain, director of Little Treasures Baby Bank, in Horncastle, said she had also seen a noticeable rise in referrals, where items are requested through healthcare explained that before the start of this year, the baby bank typically received between two and four referrals a week, but that figure had now doubled."The number of items in a referral has doubled as well," Ms Bain added, noting that larger items such as cots and travel systems were particularly in baby bank has recently put out an urgent appeal on social media for unused and unwanted to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Mapped: Find your nearest baby bank as demand surges
The UK is facing a child poverty crisis, with The Independent revealing the number of parents struggling to feed and clothe their children is rocketing. Baby bank use surged 35 per cent last year, according to data shared with this publication, as more and more families seek support amid the cost of living crisis and record-high child poverty levels. Celebrities, including actor Giovanna Fletcher, MPs and campaigners have demanded to know how this can be happening in the UK, as they call for more support for families. But in the meantime, parents are struggling to afford key items for their children, which is where the help of baby banks comes in. Often run by volunteers from community halls, warehouses and even front rooms, baby banks are a lifeline for families, providing a safe, supportive service for those in need. This is primarily in the form of giving out essential items like clothing, nappies, toys, prams and more – but also in offering a safe space. However, many don't know that baby banks exist, or if they do, don't know where their nearest one is. Therefore, The Independent has mapped out locations of baby banks across the UK: The families this publication spoke with said they had not heard of baby banks before they started using them. But the need is only increasing as stark government figures show that the number of impoverished youngsters in Britain soared by 200,000 from 4.3 million to 4.5 million between 2023 and 2024. More than 3.5 million essential items were handed out by baby banks in 2024, including nappies, clothes and cots, according to the data from the BBA and Save the Children (STC) UK – an increase of 143 per cent on the previous year. The new figures come after Labour delayed its flagship plan to cut child poverty until the autumn, although it insists the strategy will be 'ambitious'. Meanwhile, ministers debate whether or not to scrap the two-child benefit cap as the cost of living crisis continues to bite, and statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) remains equivalent to less than half the 2025 national living wage. Parents said they wanted to draw awareness to baby banks so other families can benefit and to encourage people to donate. Single father Adam Coggins, 34, was living in temporary accomodation with his daughters, aged two and three, and worrying about being able to feed them when a health visitor suggested he go to a baby bank. 'It was difficult to start with, I've always paid my way,' he said. '[But] it's surprising when you go there how many people are there needing the help... surprising how many people have stories like mine. You see how much the community comes together – it's becoming a popular, useful place for lots of struggling people.'
The Independent
3 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
With families facing impossible choices, Labour's should be easy
Few causes seize the emotions of the Labour Party as does the alleviation of child poverty, and rightly so. More than a quarter of a century since prime minister Tony Blair pledged that his generation would be 'the first to end child poverty', far too many families struggle, through no fault of their own, to provide for their children. One index of that national failure is highlighted by The Independent today: the surge in demand for help from baby banks. The cost of living crisis, with sharply higher energy bills and food prices hitting the poorest households hardest, has left hard-pressed parents seeking help to provide for their offspring. More than 3.5 million essential items were handed out by these charitable units in 2024, including nappies, clothes and cots – an increase of 143 per cent on the previous year. This trend is entirely consistent with the official statistics. Some 4.5 million children, representing 30 per cent of all children in the UK, were estimated to be living in households with a relative low income after housing costs (that is, with an income below 60 per cent of the median) in 2022-23. According to Save the Children UK and the Baby Bank Alliance, 219,637 families were supported by UK baby banks in 2024 alone – an increase of 35 per cent on the previous year. As valuable, indeed essential, as the work of charities is in supporting children in need, it is no substitute for action by government, and this Labour government in particular. While the Blair and Brown administrations made some progress in achieving their stated aim, including the passage of the Child Poverty Act in 2010, the subsequent coalition and Conservative years saw an effective abandonment of it. The two-child limit was imposed in 2017, and has been a source of misery and resentment ever since. The pressure on ministers to make an immediate impact on child poverty is growing, and it is coming from both inside and outside the party. Almost as soon as the Starmer administration was formed last year, a rebellion on the two-child cap on child benefits was organised by backbenchers on the left of the party. Derided as 'the usual suspects', the rebel MPs were brushed aside and dealt with by having the Labour whip removed. But they laid down a marker of what should be expected from a Labour government, even if the manifesto was vague. Now, disquiet around wider cuts to the social security budget is growing, and spreading to the rest of the party, including the usually loyal 2024 intake. Those in more marginal constituencies will also have found their instinct for social justice being given fresh impetus by Nigel Farage, who recently pledged to abolish the two-child cap (albeit for natalist rather than socialist reasons). Removing the hated cap is once more – in the words of Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary – 'on the table'. So it should be. It would not end child poverty – this social evil is far too entrenched to be susceptible to such an easy fix – but it would result in an immediate and significant improvement for a great number of children. Child poverty is especially acute in larger households: 44 per cent of children living in families with three or more children are in poverty. The Child Poverty Action Group says that 350,000 children would be lifted straight out of poverty, and a further 300,000 would find their conditions improved. To place that in context, about half a million children were rescued from poverty across the entire span of the 1997 to 2010 Labour government. The problem is money, but it is not an extravagant amount when viewed in the context of the social security budget. Lifting the cap would cost the Exchequer some £3.4bn, or 3 per cent of the bill for working-age benefits. Indeed, even if one were to factor in a reversal of the cut to the winter fuel payment, and of the scheduled cuts to disability benefits, the total cost would be £10bn a year. That is a more substantial sum, but one that could still be accommodated inside an envelope of public spending amounting to £1,200bn. The process of running the UK's public finances has become one of absurdly tight margins, dictated by the chancellor's habit of allowing herself far too little room for manoeuvre in her self-imposed fiscal rules. Hence the constant crises and the wearying, never-ending search for cuts, which are too often made at the expense of those who can least afford them. As the chancellor approaches the comprehensive public spending review, she deserves some sympathy for the scale of the task ahead of her. She is right to say that no programme to support social justice can be launched on the basis of unsustainable public finances. The establishment of free breakfast clubs and stronger protections for renters and workers will also push child poverty rates lower. But some of the choices she has made have not been wise ones, and they now need to be revisited. Politically, it seems increasingly apparent that Ms Reeves and her colleagues on the Child Poverty Taskforce, led by Ms Phillipson and Liz Kendall, have no alternative, when they report in the autumn, but to renew Labour's mission to make sure no child goes without food, shelter or clothing. It now falls to their generation to eradicate this scourge for good.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Surge in parents turning to baby banks as UK's child poverty crisis laid bare
Demand for baby banks from parents struggling to feed their children has surged by more than a third in a year, The Independent can reveal amid record -high child poverty levels. As the cost of living continues to rise, a growing number of families are having to turn to baby banks with new data showing over 3.5 million essential items were handed out in 2024, including nappies, clothes and cots – an increase of 143 per cent on the previous year. Describing the rising need as 'absolutely shocking', actor and podcast host Giovanna Fletcher questioned how this is happening in the UK as she joins forces with MPs and children's charities to urge the government to take action. The new figures come after Labour delayed its flagship plan to cut child poverty until the autumn, although it insists the strategy will be 'ambitious'. Meanwhile, ministers debate whether or not to scrap the two-child benefit cap as the cost of living crisis continues to bite, and statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) remains equivalent to less than half the 2025 national living wage. Single father Adam Coggins, 34, said the pressures of parenthood took a toll on his mental health and forced him to reach out to a baby bank for the first time, fearing that without help his daughters, aged two and three, would not eat. The 34-year-old told The Independent: 'I was so uncomfortable going there because I've never had to ask for help before, I felt like a failure, that was hard… [But] without these people, we would be in trouble – they've saved a lot of people, especially when you've got two young kids, you need that help. That could be the difference between getting a couple of meals for them – getting two packs of nappies saves you money to get food for them.' Mr Coggins is among the 219,637 families supported by UK baby banks in 2024 alone – an increase of 35 per cent on the previous year, according to the data from Save the Children (STC) UK and the Baby Bank Alliance (BBA), which supports and advocates for the more than 400 baby banks nationwide. Stark government figures show that the number of children in poverty in Britain soared by 200,000 from 4.3 million to 4.5 million between 2023 and 2024. The BBA's analysis of its latest annual survey of members found that baby banks are stretched to the limit. Almost two-thirds (65 per cent) reported receiving more requests for help than they could meet, with referrals rising by 30 per cent last year, while over two-thirds (69 per cent) said they have waiting lists for key items. This marks a crisis when baby banks are a lifeline for families, providing essential items like clothing, nappies, toys, prams and food, as well as a safe space – often run by volunteers from community halls, warehouses and even front rooms. Bestselling author and podcast host Ms Fletcher recently visited baby banks in Leeds, Bedford and Bicester. Criticising the government's current approach and urging it to implement long-term solutions, she told The Independent: 'They have to take stock and look at the data... so many families are now having to make impossible choices about how to feed their family, how to clothe their family – and they're always coming up short, and that's such a massive pressure.' Kirsty-Louise Fulford, 31, met Ms Fletcher at Bicester Baby Bank. The 31-year-old and her partner sometimes rely on the baby bank for formula for their 16-month-old daughter and food for their son, aged three, as well as for nappies and baby wipes. 'Without the baby bank, I don't think I'd be able to cope,' she said. Jennie Bayliss, the baby bank lead at Faces Bedford, which runs Bicester Baby Bank, said they are completely reliant on donations but 'only getting busier', with at least 30 requests coming in every week. Labour MP for Norwich South Clive Lewis said: 'That baby banks even exist in one of the richest countries on earth is an indictment of our political choices. The fact they've now seen a 35 per cent surge in demand speaks to a crisis not of resources, but of priorities. If we can afford tax breaks for the wealthy, we can afford dignity for children. Ending child poverty is a political decision. This government is choosing not to make it.' Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside Kim Johnson described the reality that baby banks have become a lifeline for so many as a 'national disgrace', with families now 'pushed to the brink'. She said: 'Nappies, formula, and clothing are not luxuries – they are essentials for a child's wellbeing. No child should be growing up in poverty in one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Yet baby banks are being left to do the job of government.' Also calling on the government to end child poverty, Labour MP for York Central Rachael Maskell said: 'The greatest impact of poverty can be found in the first years of life. No parent should have to depend on food, baby and multi-banks, but should have enough support to care for their baby.' A woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said that the homeless charity she works for is currently referring three or four survivors of domestic violence to baby banks per week. Without that support, she said the women and children 'would have nothing', even questioning how they would survive. Executive Lead at the BBA Dani Adams said: 'Families shouldn't have to worry about having a safe space for their children to sleep, or whether they have enough clothes to keep them warm, but the sad reality is that they are.' Director of UK Impact at STC Dan Paskins added: 'Scrapping the two-child limit to benefits and the benefit cap would be a start in alleviating the pressure not only on families but also the baby bank community. The UK government's long-awaited child poverty strategy is a pivotal moment to begin making positive changes for children.' A government spokesperson said: 'The government is determined to bring down child poverty. 'We've already expanded free breakfast clubs, increased the national minimum wage for those on the lowest incomes, uprated benefits and supported 700,000 of the poorest families by introducing a Fair Repayment Rate on Universal Credit deductions. 'We will publish an ambitious child poverty strategy later this year to ensure we deliver fully funded measures that tackle the structural and root causes of child poverty across the country.'
