Child poverty continues to blight Hackney's community
Dear Editor,
The End Child Poverty coalition recently published a damning report which revealed that child poverty is becoming increasingly normalised in our society.
Along with other London Boroughs, Hackney is featured in the top twenty list of boroughs in the country for having the highest prevalence of child poverty in 2017/2018.
The latest figures from the Trussell Trust have also shown that 1,691 three-day emergency food parcels were handed out to children in Hackney between April 2018 and March 2019.
Almost a decade of Government austerity has widened the gulf between rich and poor in our communities. We are seeing callous welfare cuts, low incomes and the rising cost of living plunging the most vulnerable families below the breadline and into debt.
Instead of confronting the issue head-on and making the necessary interventions, the Government have appeared to shirk their responsibility, passing their duty of care onto our already strained third and public sectors.
Going forward, it is vital that the Government fully takes on board the recommendations of the End Child Poverty coalition’s report, by putting a stop to the four-years benefits freeze, abolishing the two-child allowance limit in tax credits, comprehensively reforming universal credit and re-establishing the link between benefits and inflation levels.
Yours,
Jennette Arnold OBE AM
London Assembly Member for NE London
Tim Picton
Press Officer, Labour Group
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