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- Author, Drafting
- Author title, BBC News World
Nicole’s husband, a mother of five who lives in Greater Manchester in north-west England, works full time but there is not enough money to make ends meet.
And although he assures that his little ones do not lack the essentials, the family has had to turn to food banks to meet all their needs.
This is despite the social pressure generated by people who view welfare benefits for the most vulnerable in the UK with suspicion.
“I was embarrassed to use food banks, especially because my husband was working. But some people are not aware of the (economic) problems that families can face even if they work,” Nicole said in an interview with the BBC last November about a possible increase in welfare for households with more than two children.
“They don’t realize that circumstances are not the same for everyone. And it’s the children who suffer. How can people ignore that?” he added.
Nicole’s family is not alone with this problem.
The government estimates that 14.2 million people live below the poverty line after paying housing costs.
While the number of children in poverty in the UK reached its highest level since comparative records began in 2002.
According to the government’s official poverty measure, as of April 2024, 4.5 million children belonged to relatively low-income households.
The figure, published by the Department for Work and Pensions, represents an increase of 100,000 children compared to last year and represents 31% of the country’s children.
image source, Getty Images
The number has risen dramatically since 2021, and the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG), an NGO that researches child poverty in the UK, predicts that 4.8 million children will be in poverty by the end of the current Labor government’s term (2029-2030).
Adam Corlett, economist at think, thank you Resolution Foundation told the BBC in March that “the latest data is a stark example of the scale of disadvantage faced by families, with almost a third of children in the UK currently living in poverty.”
Christmas in danger
Danielle, a mother of four, was in a 15-year relationship with the father of her children which ended in January.
Now she is alone and unemployed; She quit her job to care for one of her little ones who has a disability.
“Now I’m alone and it’s difficult,” she said.
When Danielle separated from her partner, she and her children, aged between two and 13, received support from the homeless charity The Wallich.
image source, Getty Images
The family were moved to temporary accommodation, but the move meant they “lost part of their support network”, said Jamie-Lee Cole, who works at the charity.
“And now I’m in this situation where I can’t go to work, but I hope one day I can again,” Danielle, 32, added.
The woman said her children are missing “many things” and she is worried about the holiday season.
“Nothing is cheap these days,” he said.
“I told them they can have anything I can afford, and if they don’t have it, there’s nothing I can do.”
Danielle and Nicole said in interviews, both conducted on separate dates, that a new policy being promoted by Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labor government could be a big help to their families.
However, the initiative will not come into force until 2026.
An increase in aid
Since 2017, low-income families in the UK have been unable to claim welfare for more than two children due to a policy adopted under the Conservative government of David Cameron.
Data published by BBC News in November suggests this means 1.6 million children from large families are unable to apply for help.
This limit will no longer apply from April 2026, as current Finance Minister Rachel Reeves announced when presenting the new budget.
The charity Trussell Trust, which runs a network of food banks, said the two-child limit was “the biggest cause of child poverty” and abolishing it was “the right thing to do”.
The organization said the restriction was pushing millions of families into greater uncertainty and preventing children from having a “good start in their lives.”
“Every week, food banks in the Trussell network support parents who have gone above and beyond to protect their children from hunger,” said Helen Barnard, policy director at Trussell.
image source, Getty Images
“They skip meals for weeks so that the children have enough to eat, turn into games, wrap themselves in blankets so as not to turn on the heating, and try to pretend that everything is fine, but that is not the case,” he added.
The Labor government is under fire from the opposition in Parliament, who claim it has lost control of the welfare system and that the cost of the move will be borne by taxpayers.
Revees insists he is “fully funded” because his government has tackled fraud problems and failings in the welfare system, cracked down on tax evasion and reformed gambling taxes.
A wrong concept
Nicole says there is a “misconception” about families receiving government assistance.
And this idea makes their problems worse.
“I’ve worked since I was 13, I’ve always paid into the system and now when I need it I feel like it’s not there for us,” he said.
According to the Department for Work and Pensions, people in 59% of households affected by the two-child limit are in work.
Since the birth of her youngest child, the cost of living has increased, she says. Now she’s constantly worried about money.
And I feel like she was “punished” for having more than two children.
“Our children always have what they need, we make sure of it, but it is a constant worry. Food, books, school uniform,” he said.
“I’ve been wearing the same clothes for 12 years,” said the 30-year-old.
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