Mouldy food and rat infestations: Children face 'almost-Dickensian' levels of poverty

ITV News

10 hours ago

Some young people in England are living in an "almost-Dickensian level of poverty" and it's a crisis that can't be ignored, the Children's Commissioner said, as she insisted the two-child benefit limit must be scrapped.
Children spoke of food packages that were mouldy and out of date, rats biting through the walls and black mould making them ill, in a new report published on Tuesday which reveals the "real hardship" facing some families.
Launching the report, Children's Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, said children spoke to her about the shame that comes from knowing you have less.
However, she pointed out that "as one of the richest societies in the world, it is decision makers who should be ashamed".
The latest official estimates, for the year to March 2024, suggest there were a record 4.45 million children living in poverty in the UK.
The government's child poverty unit commissioned the new research and will help shape its forthcoming child poverty strategy, which is expected in the autumn.
De Souza said that it is "very clear that any child poverty strategy must be built on the foundation of scrapping the two-child limit", following calls from a number of charities.
The cap, introduced in 2017, prevents parents claiming Universal Credit or child tax credits for a third child, except in very limited circumstances.
Youth organisations argue that 109 children across the UK are pulled into poverty by the two-child cap every day, and approximately 350,000 children would be lifted out of poverty at once if it were binned.
There are concerns that the r ecent welfare U-turn by the Government, which left them with a financial blackhole instead of over £5 billion in savings, means the two-child benefit cap may be here to stay.
Concerns have been stoked further by Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson's comments over the weekend, when she said spending decisions have been made "harder" since changes to welfare reform plans.
Estimates for the cost of scrapping the policy vary, from around £2.6 billion to £3.5 billion by 2030.
The new report, based on the experiences of 128 children across the country between January and March this year, noted a range of concerns, including lack of access to quality, healthy food and living in cramped and poor conditions.
One child spoke of receiving mouldy food packages, saying "I know I'm poor but I'm not going to eat mouldy food."
Another spoke of a mould problem that "was making me so ill", but it was not properly fixed by the council, leaving "a hole in our floor."
Dame Rachel de Souza said that "children shared harrowing accounts of hardship, with some in almost-Dickensian levels of poverty".
"They don't talk about 'poverty' as an abstract concept but about not having the things that most people would consider basic: a safe home that isn't mouldy or full or rats, with a bed big enough to stretch out in, 'luxury' food like bacon, a place to do homework, heating, privacy in the bathroom and being able to wash, having their friends over, and not having to travel hours to school," she said.
While commending "some positive steps by the Government to get more money into families' pockets", she urged "bold, practical measures that break the link between a child's background and their opportunities".
In addition to calling for the two-child benefit limit, Dame Rachel urged for a commitment to a "triple-lock" for uprating all child-related benefits.
She also called for additional proposals, including free bus travel for all school-age children in England, priority for housing to be given to children in low-income households, auto-enrolment for free school meals for all eligible children, improved communication and data-sharing between schools, GPs and local authorities.
A Government spokesperson said: "We are determined to bring down child poverty. We've just announced a new £1 billion package to reform crisis support, including funding to ensure the poorest children do not go hungry outside of term time.
"This comes alongside the expansion to free breakfast clubs, investing #39 billion in social and affordable housing, increasing the national minimum wage and supporting 700,000 of the poorest families by introducing a Fair Repayment Rate on Universal Credit deductions.
"As part of our plan for change, the Child Poverty Taskforce will publish an ambitious strategy later this year to ensure we deliver fully-funded measures that tackle the structural and root causes of child poverty across the country."