‘ Government must offer route out of poverty for families across North’

CHARITY

THE GOVERNMENT must provide a “reliable route” out of poverty for families across the north, a leading charity in Yorkshire has said.

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s director Helen Barnard said the Government needs to prioritise ending poverty across the region by permanently extending the £ 20- a- week increase to the child element of Universal Credit and Child Tax Credit to help the poorest families, which is due to end in April next year.

Ms Barnard said: “This must be made permanent and extended to all those on legacy benefits to ensure this progress is not undone... Delaying this decision until next year will leave millions of families facing a winter of anxiety and fear.”

Ms Barnard, who is also a member of the West Yorkshire Economic Recovery Board, added the Government needed to increase the number of jobs and opportunities in the North or risk entrenched health inequalities that have been ruthlessly exposed by Covid- 19.

She said: “The coronavirus crisis has shown the importance of creating a reliable route out of poverty for families across the north, and this can only be done by creating good jobs for the long term”.

Professor David Taylor- Robinson, Professor of Public Health and Policy at the University of Liverpool, said to have any chance of “levelling- up” it is essential that families with children are prioritised in the Government’s pandemic response.

He said: “The poor child health of children in the North of England is unacceptable, and a major driver of the stark inequalities in later adult health and productivity documented in this report.

“Thedramaticrisein childpoverty predicted will have negative impacts for generations to come unless we take concerted action.”