Commenting on the fourth report in the series Destitution in
the UK from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, which highlights
around one million children experiencing destitution in 2022, an
88% increase since 2019, Daniel Kebede, General Secretary
of the National Education Union, said:
“That one million children are experiencing destitution must
surely sound an alarm for Government to finally take the action
needed. The research published today provides yet more evidence
that families are faced with a perfect storm of economic
mismanagement by the Government leading to a fall in living
standards at the same time as support through the welfare system
is falling further short of meeting their needs.
“Rising hardship is a problem that pre-dates the cost-of-living
crisis. The Government must respond to the worsening situation by
committing to change this trajectory and provide an ambitious
plan to end destitution and poverty in the UK.
“As a first step, the Government must introduce free school meals
for all children, starting with those in primary school. They
must also immediately lift the two-child limit, a cruel measure
which if lifted could remove 250,000 children from poverty
overnight. Our communities are experiencing historic levels of
hardship while the Government offers increasingly little support.
The cost of not acting is too high.”
