Before the pandemic, 4.3 million children were living in poverty in the UK. In 2020/21, this fell to 3.9 million, thanks in large part to a temporary £20 a week uplift in Universal Credit payments. However, since the benefit was reduced again, recent analysis from the Resolution Foundation has projected that the number of children in poverty could rise by 500,000 by April next year.
Luke Bramhall, poverty proofing lead at Children North East, says, ‘More families are living in poverty. That’s the reality. We are now only going to see poverty rates increasing for the youngest children, within an early years sector that’s already on its knees from underfunding.’
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