Barnardo's reacts to latest statistics on child poverty from the Department for Work and Pensions
Barnardo's CEO Lynn Perry MBE has said it is simply unacceptable that the increase in the number of children living in poverty in the UK is more than the entire population of Newcastle.
Lynn Perry MBE, CEO of Barnardo’s, said:
“Today’s figures from the Department for Work and Pensions paint the very bleak picture that 4.2 million children in the UK - more than one in four - live in poverty. Between 2021 and 2022, the number of children in poverty rose by 350,000, which is more than the entire population of Newcastle. That’s the sharpest rise in two decades. These figures are from before the cost-of-living crisis really began to affect families, meaning the real number of children living in poverty today could be even higher.
“This is unacceptable in a country which has the sixth largest economy in the world. Through our frontline work, we know that this means children are at risk of going cold and hungry, they miss out on opportunities and their physical and mental health suffers – all of which can affect them long into adulthood.
“We urge the Government to do more to support families who are struggling, starting with the extension of free school meals to all primary school children in England, and action to tackle hunger during the school holidays.”
- Population data taken from ONS 2021.