Chancellor attacked over child poverty
CRITICS have accused Chancellor Rishi Sunak of failing to fight child poverty in his Budget statement.
More than 200,000 children are growing up in poverty in the region – around 35% of all children. It means their families can’t afford basics such as food, school uniforms or internet access.
Newcastle East MP Nick Brown said: “The Chancellor insists he is doing ‘whatever it takes’ but has again failed to set out a recovery plan that deals with the North East’s unique challenges. The pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on our region. Over one third of children in my constituency are now living in poverty, unemployment is rising, and health inequality is widening.”
The North East Child Poverty Commission and charity Children North East described the Chancellor’s statement as a “missed opportunity” for children and young people across the region.
Last month, the two organisations joined forces with more than 80 organisations and individuals across the country and wrote to the Chancellor urging him “to set out a plan to end child poverty with a serious and immediate commitment to put more money in the pockets of hardpressed families.”
Amanda Bailey, director of the North East Child Poverty Commission, said: “Even before the Covid-19 pandemic the North East had one of the highest rates of child poverty in the country, damaging the life chances of far too many children and young people in our region.”
She added: “If the last 12 months has taught us anything, it is surely that levelling up in regions like the North East cannot simply be about funding new infrastructure, but investing for the long-term in its people and families too.”
The Budget “completely failed to grasp this lesson,” she said.
Mr Sunak said the Budget’s multibillion-pound announcement of additional support – including the extension to the furlough scheme and Self Employment Income Support Scheme – “demonstrates our commitment to supporting peoples’ lives and livelihoods across the North East”.