18 July 2024
As a registered charity that contributes to the ending of poverty in all forms, and especially that among children, SHOWSOMELOVE Belfast is disappointed to learn that the newly elected government has failed to include in its policy program the ending of the two-child benefit limit. This policy was introduced as part of the previous government’s austerity program to prevent families from receiving financial support from their third child onward. This means that families with three children or more are struggling to make ends meet. SHOWSOMELOVE supports the removal of this measure so that families that are experiencing financial hardship with the cost of living crisis.
We believe that all children, regardless of background, creed, or postcode, should be entitled to adequate shelter, nutrition, and education. If parents or guardians cannot aff ord the necessary provisions that allow their children to sleep in a warm home, eat at least three meals a day, and aff ord the costs associated with schooling, a child’s future, and role in society is threatened. There are an estimated 4,000,000 children living in poverty in the United Kingdom alone, and we believe that, given the country’s position being the sixth largest economy in the world, it is not acceptable for the next generation to suffer in this way.
The Child Poverty Action Group estimates the cost to remove the two-child benefit cap is £1.7 billion per year. Such an action is predicted to take approximately 300,000 children out of poverty, which will be a huge step forward in reducing the strain on struggling families. The new government claims that fiscal constraints prevent them from taking immediate action on child poverty, and will instead launch a new taskforce to ‘investigate’ the issue. It is our opinion that this investigation will only prolong the suffering of so many struggling parents and children. SHOWSOMELOVE supports the immediate removal of this limit and the recent action taken by other charities, organisations, and MPs whose values align with ours