Nursery World - Child poverty rise triggers Brexit warnings

Children’s charities are urging the Government to rule out further welfare cuts amid Brexit uncertainty, after it was revealed child poverty rose by 200,000 last year.

The official UK numbers show 3.9 million under 18’s – 29 per cent of all children – were classed as being in poverty, the first increase since 2006.

The households below average income (HBAI) statistics for 2014/15, published by the Department for Work and Pensions last week, were described by charities as ‘hugely depressing’ and resulting from austerity cuts.

And some 66 per cent of impoverished children were from working families – a hike of four per cent on the previous year.

The report coincides with speculation that the Prime Minister David Cameron’s life chances strategy, aimed at tackling child poverty, may have been put on the back-burner amid his resignation.

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