How the Pandemic has Impacted Child Poverty Rates in England

(Disclaimer: La Tonique Media LLC does not represent any political ideology. While we do not espouse any political beliefs, we do seek to provide a balance perspective by incorporating voices from both sides of the political spectrum.)

By Elaine Sanderson

The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in increased poverty rates worldwide. As cases continue to rise and fall, lockdowns implemented and jobs lost, it is no surprise that those who were struggling are feeling the pressure. Among this, child poverty rates are rising. 

Children currently make up half of the world’s poor. In a joint study by the UN and WorldBank, they found that “slow-paced, unequally distributed” progress meant one in six children were living in poverty prior to the pandemic. A September analysis by Save the Children stated that 45% of children were already in need of access in one of these areas: education, housing, healthcare, nutrition, water and sanitation. Children born into poverty are more likely to experience poor nutrition, mental health problems and chronic disease. These health problems are likely to carry into adulthood as they lack the means and resources they need to aid themselves. Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director said “Covid-19 and the lockdown measures imposed to prevent its spread have pushed millions of children deeper into poverty.” 

In a country where one in four children grow up in poverty, former PM Gordon Brown told Sky News that he expects child poverty to become a national crisis in the UK. Peter Townsend in Poverty in the United Kingdom said “Individuals, families and groups in the population can be said to be in poverty when they lack the resources to obtain the types of diet, participate in the activities, and have the living conditions and amenities which are customary, or at least widely encouraged or approved, in the societies to which they belong." 

These conditions have newly hit a large amount of the population. Millions of families have seen a drop in income due to high levels of redundancy and having to rely on furlough schemes. With levels of unemployment set to reach their highest rate for 25 years, families are finding themselves falling deeper into poverty. The financial strain of the pandemic is at risk of taking more people below the threshold. 

Children in England are eligible for free school meals if they meet certain criteria such as living in a low income household, or receiving unemployment benefits. The government recently struck down a proposed motion to extend these meals across non-term time, one that Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales have all independently passed. A voucher supplement would be handed out ensuring children in the most struggling families are able to be adequately fed. Facing large amounts of pressure to overturn their decision, PM Boris Johnson told MPs that they would continue to support families through the benefits system. Many, including child poverty action groups, say this is not enough.

The Child Poverty Action group reports that £250 million is needed to assist all hard-hit families in England. Instead the government has responded by making reference to the £63 million they gave local authorities in June. The economic packages being offered do nothing to aid in the additional costs of raising children, and there are no specific support schemes to rectify this. Councils in England said distributing some of the money to help families with food was never discussed. The Local Government Association reported that assistance had already been “outstripped” by unprecedented demand from struggling households. With most of the money used, it’s not clear how the government expects councils to provide support regarding the free school meals issue - an issue local authorities weren’t made aware of.

Following the government’s decision, Marcus Rashford, a Manchester United footballer, began a campaign within England to extend free school meals over the holidays. With the added pressures of the pandemic - 14% of parents and 10% of children have experienced food insecurity over the last six months - Rashford is calling on the government to expand the scheme. The Food Foundation found there was a heightened demand for free school meals, discovering 900,000 children had been newly registered to the scheme. There is a clear need for such an extension. Backed by charities, a parliamentary petition with the slogan “no child should go hungry” was started by Rashford and has achieved one million signatures in under two weeks. Public support is more than evident. 

As a response, businesses across the country have chosen to donate meals to children in need. Speaking to the Chronicle, Jamie Eastlake, a tapas restaurant owner in North East England, said that following the government’s vote, he exclaimed “I thought if the government won’t feed the kids, we will.” 60 hot meals were donated each day by Jamie and his team during the half-term holiday, a sign they are clearly in need. 

(Staff prepare bags for children in Liverpool)

(Peter Byrne | PA Media)

As children go hungry, MPs get their meals subsidised in Westminster by taxpayers. This is a stark sign of a government out of touch with local communities and the people within them. Struggling businesses should not have to take on feeding children in England. Although welfare funding has increased, a more ambitious program targeting reducing food insecurity in children is needed. In the words of Marcus Rashford, “This is not politics, this is humanity.”

Elaine is a political writer for La Tonique. You can follow Elaine on Twitter @sando_99.