Surely this is a wake-up call?

Sir, – The fact that according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation an additional 700,000 UK children and pensioners have fallen into relative poverty over the past four years is totally unacceptable and must act as a wake-up call to the Tory Government.

Indeed, the charity said it was the first time in 20 years that poverty in these groups had seen sustained rises.

According to the report, since 2013 an extra 300,000 pensioners and 400,000 children are now living in poverty and the prospects for solving the problem currently look worrying.

Despite the government protecting the value of the basic state pension since 2010, Pension Credit, a benefit paid to the poorest pensioners, has not kept pace with rising costs.

Child poverty has also been driven by stagnant wages for low income families, a freeze on benefits and changes to tax credits, which many families, both in and out of work, rely on.

New threats to the poorest households include rising housing costs, higher food and energy bills, debts, and not being able to contribute to a pension.

Many thousands of people struggle daily to make ends meet, and ending the benefits freeze is the biggest thing the government could do to help.

It must do this now, before we push hundreds of thousands more into poverty’s misery.

Alex Orr. Flat 2, 77 Leamington Tce, Edinburgh.

Despite the government protecting the value of the basic state pension since 2010, Pension Credit, a benefit paid to the poorest pensioners, has not kept pace with rising costs