Child Poverty: New report is “wake up call”

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has published a new report on child poverty in Wales.

The report states that under central OBR projections, Scotland will be the only nation in which child poverty rates will fall by 2029, highlighting the power of social security policies in tackling poverty.

The Scottish Government’s child payment has been hailed as transformational in tackling child poverty whilst the administration is also taking steps to mitigate the UK Government’s two-child benefit cap.

Meanwhile, the current UK Government has kept the two-child cap, despite analysis showing that scrapping it would lift 250,000 children out of poverty overnight.

Sioned Williams MS urged the Welsh Government to mirror the Scottish Government’s steps to mitigate the effects of the two-child benefit cap and explore the introduction of a child payment.

Plaid Cymru spokesperson for social justice, Sioned Williams MS said:

“This new research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation must be a wake-up call for government.

“It is shameful that child poverty rates are set to rise in all parts of the UK except Scotland over the next few years, even if the economy experiences growth.

“With Wales estimated to have the highest child poverty rates by 2029 at 34.4%, there are things which the Welsh Government could be doing right now to tackle child poverty, such as introducing a child payment and reintroducing targets for reducing child poverty.”