The National Children’s Bureau (NCB) charity raised concerns that the government’s ambition for improving the lives of disadvantaged children could be derailed by Reeves’ cuts, announced in her spring statement to the Commons today.
The impact is underlined by a Department for Work and Pensions analysis, published today, which predicts that the “combined effect of the package of welfare reforms will push tens of thousands of children deeper into poverty and make life harder for millions more”, said the NCB.
The reforms include freezing health-related universal credit for new claimants in cash terms until 2030 (further to last week’s announcement that the benefit would be halved from April 2026), and young people aged under 22 no longer being entitled to the incapacity benefit top-up of universal credit.
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
