Child Poverty Action Group
@CPAGUK
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Child Poverty Action Group is the leading charity campaigning for an end to child poverty in the UK and for a better deal for low-income families.
United Kingdom
Joined May 2011
>> Watch till the end…. Hunger is just part of the devastating reality facing 4.2 million UK children growing up in poverty. Help us imagine a better future. If you agree it shouldn’t be like this, join our community: #ImagineBetter #ChildPoverty
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Not a wordle. Nine children in a classroom of 30 are growing up in poverty in the UK. It doesn't have to be like this.
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The £20-a-week cut to #UniversalCredit this October will be the biggest overnight cut to the basic rate of social security since WW2. We and many others are calling on the government to #KeepTheLifeline to protect children and families.
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Far too many kids don't get free school meals. NEW analysis we’ve done for @itvpeston finds that the situation is worst in England where 31% of school children growing up in poverty are not eligible. 22% aren't eligible in N. Ireland, 19% in Wales and 16% in Scotland.
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We welcome the discussion on child poverty at #PMQs. It is one of the most important issues facing the nation. It is the right thing to reduce and end child poverty, and we need a strategy in place to ensure there is concerted effort to do so.
Child poverty rates are expected to increase, says Labour leader Keir Starmer, "What does the prime minister think caused that?". "Absolute poverty, relative poverty have both declined under this government," replies Boris Johnson. #PMQs
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BREAKING. Child poverty has risen *again*. 4.3 million children are living in poverty. In a general election year, nothing should be more important to our political leaders than making things better for the country’s poorest kids.
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We’re really grateful to @LittleMix for choosing us as a charity partner for their livestream. Thank you so much to everyone who donates when buying a ticket.
Tickets for ‘Little Mix The Last Show (for now…)’ are on sale NOW! Wherever you are in the world, join us for the final night of the #ConfettiTour 🎉 Let us know in the comments where you’ll be watching from ✨
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There are 1.3m kids in families on universal credit who don't qualify for free school meals because their household’s earnings are above the £7,400 eligibility threshold. Our analysis shows 800,000 of these children are living below the poverty line. #FeedTheFuture.
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>> Please watch and share this film. Hunger is just part of the devastating reality for the 4.2 million kids in poverty in the UK. It doesn’t have to be like this. #ImagineBetter #ChildPoverty @creaturelondon @smugglersite
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There was a loud public outcry against the £20 universal credit cut. Six months on and today benefits have been cut again as prices rise faster than support. Soaring living costs affect us all but those with least will be hurt most. There is still time for the chancellor to act.
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“To some people it’s a really throw away amount, £20 a week. For us it’s massive.”. Parents and carers taking part in the @CovidRealities project urge the government to stop the £20 cut to universal credit. #KeepTheLifeline. Please listen and retweet.
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1.3 million emergency food parcels were provided by food banks in the @TrussellTrust network in just 6 months (April-Sept 2022). Almost half a million of these were to feed children. Another cut is unimaginable. The Prime Minister must increase all benefits by inflation.
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The Scottish government has made the right decision on the two-child limit, but Westminster must now step up and scrap it UK-wide. There can be no justification now for Westminster to drag its feet and continue to roll out poverty to more and more children through this policy.
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We brought a legal case on behalf of a mother and daughter who fled home following domestic abuse, with no cash at all. The mum, who has pre-settled status, made an application for universal credit. It was refused. This is what our lawyer @claritahall had to say on the judgment:.
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The Prime Minister must know he can’t scare people into good health, but his words this morning will be chilling for low income families up and down the country who rely on our social security system for help.
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No child should have to feel anxious about how their parents will make ends meet. We're part of this coalition of 100 organisations calling on the Prime Minister not to cut #UniversalCredit by £20 a week and to #KeepTheLifeline.
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We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again:. The two-child limit drives up child poverty and harms kids. Getting rid of the policy would cut child poverty overnight. We want all parties to make serious commitments on child poverty. That must include ending the two-child limit.
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By fully mitigating the benefit cap, the Scottish government has taken a huge step forward in its efforts to reduce child poverty. Families should get the support they need through our social security system, rather than be penalised by an arbitrary limit.
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Fantastic news that free school meal provision will continue in England and Scotland over the summer holidays. Congratulations to @MarcusRashford and all involved in campaigning for this lifeline for low-income families.
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Always good when stats go in the right direction. We'll need to update our analysis following the announcement that all London primary school kids will be getting free school meals. The Mayor’s laudable intervention today highlights the UK govt’s failure to act for kids.
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We and 30 other organisations have come together to call for the government to increase benefits by 6% in April and ensure support for housing costs increases in line with rents. Our full statement ⬇️.
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Stark stats:. 29% of kids are growing up in poverty.48% of kids in Black & minority ethnic families are in poverty.42% of kids in households with 3+ kids are in poverty.44% of kids in lone-parent families are in poverty.71% of kids growing up in poverty live in a working family
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The UK's poorest families were told their benefits would increase by inflation as usual. The government is now considering u-turning on this - a choice that would plunge 200,000 more children into poverty and mean yet another devastating cut for struggling families. Please RT.
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There are few people better at budgeting than those on a low income, who have to do it every single day. Parents who have no option but to use foodbanks in the face of soaring costs and real-terms income cuts need real-world solutions, like increasing benefits with inflation.
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Scrapping the two-child limit would lift 300,000 children out of poverty and mean 800,000 children are in less deep poverty.
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It's fantastic news that all primary school children in London will get free school meals. It really is for ministers now to respond to public support for free school meals and ensure that every child in the UK has a free, balanced meal in the middle of the day.
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The #BenefitCap was first announced #OnThisDay in 2010 by George Osborne at the Conservative party conf. It came in in 2013. It breaks the vital link between the support you need & the support you get from our social security system & pushes kids into poverty [thread] 1/17.
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We’re calling on the UK’s leaders to make a plan to tackle child poverty. They should start by:. > Removing the two-child limit and benefit cap.> Raising child benefit by £20 a week.> Rolling out free school meals to all school pupils.
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Our response to the King's Speech:. - little to help tackle child poverty.- two-child limit is the biggest driver of rising poverty and is causing harm to kids.- we must see a commitment to scrapping the two-child limit in the government's first budget.
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We've joined forces with over 50 organisations to call for benefits to be increased by at least 7% in April to match inflation. Statement signed by charities including: @TrussellTrust, @CitizensAdvice, @jrf_uk, @age_uk & @MindCharity. Please read & RT:
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Children can’t wait for the new government to align every star before the two-child limit is scrapped. These testimonies from people affected by the policy show clearly why. Please read and share.
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It would be wrong to take away £20 a week from millions of families who are struggling to get by across the UK. We're part of this coalition of 100 organisations calling on the Government not to cut #UniversalCredit.
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Our fantastic solicitor Carla Clarke is @thetimes lawyer of the week - in recognition of our High Court #UniversalCredit win earlier this month. Congratulations Carla - much deserved recognition! (£)
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Our response to the Labour party manifesto:. 'A child poverty strategy is imperative and extremely welcome but its first action point has to be abolishing the two-child limit which more than any other policy has driven child poverty to record levels. .
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Fantastic news! Victory in the court for our three single mothers challenging #UniversalCredit assessment periods. Our press release to follow. .
Four working single mothers win High Court challenge over their universal credit payments
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900,000 children in poverty in England are not eligible for free school meals because the qualifying criteria is so restrictive, our analysis of new DfE data shows. All political parties should make universal free school meals a priority pledge in their election manifestos.
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Things will only get worse: our report as new stats show the two-child limit affects 1 IN 9 children. Read the devastating consequences of this policy: .
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We've published new analysis today showing that 200,000 more children will be pushed into poverty if benefits rise by wages rather than inflation. The government must do the right thing and increase benefits in line with inflation.
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We're delighted to have won this award - recognition of the hard work of everyone in our legal and welfare rights teams.
🎉 Our first award is Excellence in Access to Justice. Congratulations to @CPAGUK, who impressed the judges with their outstanding work providing support to frontline workers tackling child poverty in the UK #LawSocAwards
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Investing in free school meals is good for all kids but has the greatest impact on those facing hardship. With the great news from the Mayor of London this week, the percentage of children in poverty who miss out on free school meals in England will drop by 3 percentage points.
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Today we publish the results of our coalition survey of 1,000+ school staff in England. Schools are reeling in the face of rising child poverty. 79% of school staff said time must be diverted from core roles to combat child poverty. We’ll be sharing quotes throughout today ⬇️.
‘Poverty is placing a huge pressure on families - whether it’s taking extra hours, mental health problems or not being able to stretch for additional resources at home it’s all bleeding into school… families are really struggling & there is only so much we can do within school.’.
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Our statement on the Supreme Court's two-child limit judgment:. "This is a hugely disappointing judgment which fails to give any meaningful recognition to the reality of the policy on the ground and its desperately unfair impact on children. .
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More than 4 million children are living in poverty in the UK. Poverty puts children’s education, health and life chances on the line. We can lift one million children out of poverty:
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Together with the Rutherfords, we have won our latest fight for disabled children hit by the #bedroomtax Please share to show your support
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We have just published a briefing on what the government needs to do to support families during the #COVID19 pandemic. We are calling for:. universal credit advances to be made non-repayable;. emergency support for children in the form of a £10 increase in child benefit; . 1/4.
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*THREAD* Just finished our submission to @SSAC on the #universalcredit managed migration regulations – how people on benefits like ESA and tax credits will move to UC. The more we read the more alarmed we get. Here’s why, and what we think the @DWP should do differently 1/10.
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If the suspension of free travel for under 18s in London goes ahead, the cost of travel will be a major barrier to children and young people getting the education and careers that they deserve. #DontZapTheZip
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Our statement on the sad death of Frank Field:. Frank was a steadfast, highly successful and diligent campaigner against child poverty. It is largely down to Frank that we have child benefit today – a truly towering achievement.
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*NEW*. More than 10,000 children have been pulled into poverty by the two-child limit since the election. The government should scrap it at the Budget. #AllKidsCount
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We and 30 other organisations are calling on the government to increase benefits by 6% in April and ensure support for housing costs increases in line with rents. Read more:
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New free school meals analysis. The UK and devolved governments must change the qualifying criteria so that every child who needs a school dinner has one, while working towards removing means-testing entirely from the dinner hall.
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We're calling for: cash payments for #FreeSchoolMeals; urgent action to ensure all kids have the learning tools they need; & greater financial support to cover the increased costs families are facing. Our letter w/ @ChildrenNE to Gavin Williamson is here:
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We've had 10 years of the #BenefitCap. The cap is now lower than when it was set in 2013. In the meantime, prices have risen by 34 per cent. It is causing real harm to families and children.
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We need to see a commitment from all parties to scrap the two-child limit and increase child benefits. Anything less would be a betrayal of Britain’s children.
BREAKING. Child poverty has risen *again*. 4.3 million children are living in poverty. In a general election year, nothing should be more important to our political leaders than making things better for the country’s poorest kids.
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Thank you to Marcus Rashford for drawing attention to rising child poverty. Much more needs to be done, including lifting the two-child limit and extending free school meals into the summer holidays.
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The Chancellor brought good news on breakfast clubs and universal credit deductions but this was not a Budget of bold action on child poverty. The Chancellor missed a golden chance to scrap the two-child limit, a policy that will pull 16,000 extra children into poverty. .
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Family income is the strongest predictor of how well a child will do in school. The PM came to office pledging a bold, ambitious child poverty-reduction plan. Two things are too urgent to wait for this plan: scrapping the two-child limit and the benefit cap.
A new study by the Education Policy Institute has found pupils in England from low-income families have fallen further behind richer classmates, except in London. EPI chief Natalie Perera tells #R4Today the findings are 'really worrying'.
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Court of Appeal finds DWP's treatment of earnings under universal credit irrational in further victory for four single mothers - our statement on today's legal judgment:
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Today, we're exploring the cost barriers that affect children from low incomes throughout the school day, to mark the launch of our new UK-wide #CostoftheSchoolDay project. Follow along with us from 7am 🕖.
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Poverty is devastating. It puts kids' education, health & life chances on the line. Nine kids in an average classroom of 30 are in poverty. This isn’t right, and it doesn’t have to be like this. Please read our manifesto for tackling child poverty.
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Responding to the Prime Minister’s comments on the two-child limit in The Sun, CPAG Chief Executive Alison Garnham said:. “With child poverty at a record high, the prime minister has now clearly decided that making kids poor is his political priority. 1/2.
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Universal free school meals mean children are better able to engage in learning, benefit from a balanced meal each day which supports their health and wellbeing, and no one is left feeling isolated or different.
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We've joining 140+ children's organisations today to call on party leaders to prioritise children this election. Child poverty is a huge issue, and all parties need to commit to tackling it. #GE19 #ChildrenAtTheHeart
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“This is a very welcome and common-sense judgment which clearly establishes that the DWP has been applying its universal credit regulations incorrectly," our solicitor Carla Clarke responds to our High Court victory. Read the full press release here:
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Our welfare rights adviser Martin Williams on this case: “Benefit payments are set a bare minimum level for the basic essentials - no mother should have to see her children go short of essentials in order to pay the rent”
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“Education should be about getting the most out of everything school has to offer. Not just the lessons, but the activities, the class trips, the friendships.” - @Aiannucci reads our #R4Appeal:
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.@Aiannucci is our CPAG's new patron - we're so delighted to be working with Armando. Armando said: "Now more than ever the issue of poverty in Britain is forefront in everyone’s minds. I’m keen to do as much as I can to highlight what positive efforts can be done to address. .
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Families’ budgets were already at breaking point before soaring bills and prices. Together with @childrensociety, @jrf_uk, @TrussellTrust and others we’re urging the government not to scrap increasing all benefits in line with inflation. [1/2]
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The two-child limit has 'severely inhibited the children's ability to experience a full life. Shoes with holes, clothes too small. Hungry at times.'. 109 kids are being pulled into poverty every day because of the two-child limit. The govt should scrap it at the Budget.
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Our view on this story is that we already have a minister responsible for our social security system which, on any basic understanding of its role, is meant to prevent poverty, destitution and hunger in this country
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A bit of good news: @MikeAmesburyMP's Bill to address excessive school uniform costs passed its second reading today. This will help children and families by bringing down the #CostoftheSchoolDay
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It's unthinkable that the government would whip away the £20 lifeline at all, let alone while the economic impact of the pandemic rages on. The £20 uplift must be kept and extended to people on legacy benefits who haven't received it at all. #KeepTheLifeline.
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Families from @changing_r describe how they simply have nothing left to cut back on. The new Prime Minister must increase all benefits in line with inflation. Yet another cut to support for struggling families is unimaginable. #CostOfLivingCrisis . Please listen and retweet.
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Our response to the #KingsSpeech: . 'The new government pledged an ambitious approach to tackling child poverty but there was little to help achieve that aim in the speech today. 1/3.
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1.6 million children are now affected by the two-child limit. That's 1 in 9 children.
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Nothing the Chancellor said in his speech today will help worried parents. The cut to #UniversalCredit will leave millions of families without enough to live on. Cutting the incomes of the lowest earners won’t support jobs, & it will drive up child poverty #KeepTheLifeline #CPC21.
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Today we're joining with over 50 other organisations calling for an end to the two-child limit - you can read the reasons we are behind the campaign here: #AllKidsCount.
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Our CEO @alisongcpag is quoted here: “We already have a minister responsible for our social security system which, on any basic understanding of its role, is meant to prevent poverty, destitution and hunger in this country.”
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It's International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. We know that cutting £20 a week from #UniversalCredit will drive up poverty. We’re urging the government to reinstate the £20 at the autumn budget.
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The government has today announced a child poverty taskforce. This is a welcome first step towards fulfilling the government’s pledge to bring in an ambitious child poverty strategy. 1/2.
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This is an important first step towards abolishing the policy altogether. This is a pernicious policy that picks off some children and says their needs will not be met. It will result in 200,000 more children falling into poverty.
BBC News - Universal credit: Two-child benefit cap to be relaxed
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Poverty is devastating. It means kids going without things they need. Arriving at school hungry, unable to concentrate on their lessons. Returning to cold homes. Missing out on everyday experiences & opportunities that make up childhood, like school trips & birthday parties.
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We're delighted to have been shortlisted in the 2019 Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year awards - twice! Our amazing legal/welfare rights team is up for Legal Aid Firm/Not-for-Profit Agency & one of our welfare rights advisers, Martin Williams, is shortlisted in the public law category.
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"Should it not be a source of shame that so many poor children, who could have achieved so much, see their life’s potential diminished by forces over which they have no control and for which they have no responsibility?" - @MaryBoustedNEU
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The PM made a speech this morning which focussed on reform to our social security system. He must know he can’t scare people into good health, but his words this morning will be chilling for low-income families up and down the UK who rely on our social security system for help.
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There’s been a lot of talk about who will lose out when moving to #universalcredit. Let’s look at the different ways people move on to the new benefit, and what this will mean for their income: THREAD 1/13.
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It simply isn’t good enough for one of the most powerful politicians in the country to blame his government’s failure to help people on a computer system. Every single day that passes, he is letting down families who need more money to live on. (1/2).
Rishi Sunak says the government's computer system wouldn't let him increase benefits further this year in response to the cost of living crisis. The chancellor acknowledges "technical problems sounds like an excuse"
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"Today the chancellor could have helped millions of families cope with spiralling costs – but instead he failed the children who needed him the most. The measures he announced don’t come close to bridging the gap between what the lowest-income families have and what they need.
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We're calling for: .- a £10 increase in child benefit; removal of the benefit cap and two-child limit;.- changes to universal credit and legacy benefits that respond to gaps in the system;.- more money to local authorities for crisis support.
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*New report* out today: The Austerity Generation: the impact of a decade of cuts on family incomes and child poverty
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The question in this case was whether it's right & lawful to force tenants to spend subsistence benefits other than housing benefit (money intended for their and their kids' basic daily living needs) on rent to avoid homelessness. We say it's not and the Supreme Court has agreed.
Our statement on today's court judgment:
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Our manifesto for ending child poverty: We want all parties in #GE19 to make a commitment to tackle child poverty; & for the next gov to invest in kids' benefits, bring in a child poverty strategy & build a more effective social security system for us all
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The government has announced a child poverty taskforce. - This is a welcome first step.- There are record numbers of kids in poverty.- The two-child limit is driving up child poverty more than any other policy.- The two-child limit has to go in the Budget.
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38 bills but no direct help with spiralling costs. a far cry from what struggling families needed to hear. Govt offered no short term comfort for parents struggling to feed their kids in face of rocketing prices, and no long term vision for ending child poverty. - @alisongcpag
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"Our classrooms are filled with children who are hungry, tired, and lacking the resources they need to succeed. They’re also distracted by money worries at home.". - Our letter with school leaders, governors and teachers, calling for the government to scrap the two-child limit.
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