Benefits freeze will plunge more children into poverty, charity warns

The charity estimates that the four-year freeze to their benefits, which is due to begin in April, will affect more than four million low-income families across the UK.

The charity has warned that this, combined with rising living costs could affect seven million children, potentially pushing more children into poverty.

According to research by the End Child Poverty Coalition around 28 per cent of children in the UK live in poverty. Two out of three children who are living in poverty are in working households that claim benefits to make up for low wages.

The benefits freeze proposal, which is due to be debated in parliament today, forms part of the government’s Welfare Reform and Work Bill. The freeze will include child tax credits, working tax credits and jobseeker’s allowance.

It has been estimated that the freeze could mean that families lose up to 12 per cent from the real value of their benefits over the next four years.  

The charity is urging the government to reconsider the idea, and to postpone any further cuts that may diminish support for low-income families.

Matthew Reed, chief executive of The Children’s Society, said: “If ministers are genuinely concerned about child poverty, they must reconsider plans to freeze benefits over the next four years. Further cuts to support would push more children into poverty and undermine incentives for families to move into work or earn more.”